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Male and female orchid mantises aren’t just different in size and color – they also have radically different lifestyles. New research suggests the ability to prey on pollinating insects shaped the evolution of the orchid mantis, leading to bigger females that resemble flowers.. . . Read More

In my latest Zoologic post, I take a look at cannibals in the animal kingdom: Who does it, and why? Cannibalism may be a major taboo for humans, but for many other species it makes good evolutionary sense. Read the whole story here: Read More

A scientist has described 19 new species of bark mantis from Central and South America. These aren’t your prototypical praying mantises. Read the whole story on Nat Geo’s Weird & Wild blog to see what makes them so different: Read More

It may look like a flower, but the orchid mantis is no shrinking violet. Researchers have demonstrated that it uses its remarkable floral mimicry to lure in and prey upon pollinating insects – a first in the animal kingdom. Read Read More