Just 12 days after hatching, I sighted one of the baby praying mantids – and without the camera at hand! Already at one inch long it was double its original length. Its body looked as thin as a thread, but probably not for long. While I was looking at it, it seized a tiny bug and gobbled it down! We hadn’t seen any since the day after hatching, but I suspect that if we saw one, many more are hiding close by!
UPDATE 5/8/06: Okay, now I got a picture. The little mantis came back at the same time in the evening. He is upside down. The dark dot is his head and he is holding his ‘hands’ out front in the ‘praying’ position.
Praying Mantis juvenile, 1 inch long
