A praying mantis is an interesting insect. Like all insects it has a two antennas and six legs. It has an exoskeleton made of a hard outer skeleton. There are up to 1800 types of them.
In the fall the female lays 100 to 400 eggs in a foaming case that turns into a hard egg case. The egg case stays through the winter. Finally, in the spring the nymphs hatch. The nymphs are smaller and have no wings.
The nymphs molt their exoskeleton as they grow. After they quit growing they quit molting.
They can do something other insects cannot do, move their heads from left to right. This helps them find other insects to eat.
Our printout includes a page of facts about praying mantises, suitable for use with early readers.
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