The innocent insect approached the lovely flower. Suddenly the flower moved and in just a split second the unfortunate victim lost his life…
That “flower” is a strange mantis called the orchid mantis , scientific name is Hymenopus coronatus .
They live in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
They are called orchid mantises because their color and body shape are very similar to an orchid.
Their four legs resemble the petals of an orchid, while the pairs of serrated forelimbs like other mantids are used in grasping prey.
This is a great camouflage tactic, making the orchid mantis “invisible” when hiding in orchids.
Instead of looking for prey, this mantis remains motionless for hours on the flower, waiting for its prey to fly to catch it with its sharp pincers and lightning-fast speed.
The orchid mantis is a very aggressive species, they are ready to attack all moving objects that enter their field of vision.
Their food is insects, especially bees and butterflies, who often come to flowers to suck nectar.
Another special thing about orchid mantises is that they also have the ability to change color to suit the flower they are sheltering.
According to studies, they can change 90 colors, between pink and brown.
Due to its uniqueness, orchid mantises are very popular with insect collectors.
But not everyone has the opportunity to own this species of mantis because they are very rare and very expensive.
