One of his impressive creatures was a Tanzanian praying mantis. She is six inches long and makes our local species look miniscule by comparison. The mantis is a weird animal even by arthropod standards.

The prayerful attitude of her forelegs is really a pair of grasping organs, which seize and hold any unfortunate insect. The mantis feeds mainly on other insects and is common to our area. She is shaped and colored to blend with her surroundings, which serves two purposes. First, because she does not pursue her prey but waits for it to stray within reach, she needs to stay hidden. Second, her grasping forelegs are useless against birds and lizards. Since the mantis is slow moving, she must be concealed to avoid being caught and eaten. The male mantis is the only one that might need prayer, because mating can be treacherous and he is just another source of food for the female.

She can lay 80 to 100 eggs in a tough, spongy sac, which she attaches to twigs. The young mantises hatch together and, at first, hang from the egg capsule by silken threads that they give out from the hind end of their abdomen. They grow in gradual stages, molting up to twelve times before becoming adults. The mantis has wings and is a good flier. Her movements are animated and when you get close she seems to talk to you. Look around first before you strike up a conversation with a bug.