This Praying Mantis Tries to Attack a Spider on a Smartphone

The term ‘praying mantis’ is used to refer to a group of insects that adopt a praying posture when their front legs are at rest. They are all long and narrow, and have a distinctive elongated thorax that functions like a neck. These are fascinating creatures that many people keep as pets. In this extraordinary YouTube clip, a praying mantis is watching an animated spider scuttling around a cell phone screen. Every now and again, it makes a pounce at the ‘spider’. Here we will examine exactly what the praying mantis can see and why it is leaping at the screen.

Praying Mantis Hunting Technique

Praying mantises are carnivores and need to hunt to survive. They feed mainly on arthropods and typically hunt creatures that are smaller than they are. Praying mantises are opportunists and tend to focus on whatever suitable prey is available in their habitats. They will eat insects, worms, larvae, fish, and spiders—as shown in this clip. Some will even tackle larger animals such as birds, small mammals, and reptiles.

They are ambush predators, so they sit and wait with their front legs raised, and when the prey is close enough, they grab it. You can see this in the clip, but it happens very fast! The grasping response of these animals is incredibly quick, and it is rare for prey to escape. Their front legs are folded back like a penknife and have long, sharp spines to secure the victim.

Exceptional Eyesight

Humans are the species that spend the most time looking at cell phone screens! We have two eyes, and we can see things in three dimensions (3D). Research has shown that the praying mantis can also see in 3D, but using a mechanism called stereopsis, which gives them depth perception. Praying mantises are the only insects known to have stereopsis, which is 3D vision.

Scientists from the University of Newcastle used tiny 3D glasses to show movies to praying mantises in the laboratory. The movie was of an insect hovering, and the mantis reached out and tried to catch it, much like the individual in this YouTube clip.

Importantly, their stereopsis only works with moving prey, as that is when they need to attack. They use their eyesight to judge if the prey is at the right distance for them to spring at it. This is what the mantis in the clip is doing. It must be very confused about why the spider keeps getting away!