The tall posture and folded forelegs may make the praying mantis look less like a sinister predator. Studies by zoologists have found that praying mantises in several countries have been documented killing birds and devouring their brains. However, it is known that praying mantises rarely prey on vertebrates. small, including frogs, lizards, and snakes, so scientists don't yet know how universal this bird's preying habit is.
"The fact that bird feeding is so widespread among praying mantises, both taxonomically and geographically, is a spectacular discovery," said lead researcher Martin Nyffeler of the University of Basel in Switzerland.
Nyffeler and team have reviewed all available scientific literature and other records on bird predation by praying mantis. They found that the phenomenon has been documented in 13 different countries, on all continents except Antarctica, with grasshoppers preying on about 24 different bird species. Overall, the researchers found 147 cases of the behavior that have been reported since the first documented occurrence in 1864, with the majority of cases involving attacks on hummingbirds in the United States (US). According to at least one of the included observations, this eating habit is quite appalling. , mainly because praying mantises are known to sometimes eat their prey while they are still alive.
"The locust's modus operandi seems to approach the bird, which is always hanging down, and then enter the cranial cavity through one of the eyes, where it feeds on brain tissue."
The attack is made possible by the praying mantis' powerful forelegs, which allow it to capture and immobilize its victims.
"They just hold (the prey) and eat it while the prey is still alive. They eat slowly and slowly until there is nothing left," said retired forensic ecologist Dietrich Mebs of the University of Frankfurt, Germany.
One thing about this phenomenon is that it poses a potential risk to many birds, especially hummingbirds in the US.
"Our study demonstrates the threat the praying mantis poses to some bird populations," Nyffeler said.
In contrast to Nyffeler, Indiana-based author and birdwatcher Kenn Kaufman says that given the overall rarity of the events recorded so far, there's probably no need to worry too much about hummingbird populations.
"Even though the behavior seems strange or gruesome, I don't think it poses a threat to the survival of any hummingbird species because it doesn't happen very often compared to the total population," said Kaufman.
"So I would say it's an interesting phenomenon but not a conservation issue."
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