Last updated on September 12, 2024
A praying mantis has taken up residence along a particular fence along Carolina Avenue of late, and if you’ve never seen one before — and you can find this one — it’s quite an impressive sight.
The average praying mantis is from 2 to 5 inches long and sometimes even bigger. This one is about four or five inches and camouflaging quite well near a bitter melon on a fence. There are more than 2,400 species of mantises, and this one seems to look like a Chinese praying mantis, which are typically larger than the average mantis.
It’s unlikely the mantis is eating the bitter melon because they’re carnivores, and the females are well-known for cannibalizing their mates after mating.
You’ll want to keep your distance because praying mantises can bite, but they usually avoid contact with people. If you do get bit, they are nonvenomous, but can cause irritation or itchiness.
