A PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT! While hiking in Brandenburg (Germany), not far from Berlin, I found a praying mantis sitting in the grass. It felt like hitting the jackpot:

Mantis religiosa L. 1758

The European praying mantis is the only species among about 2,400 mantid species that occurs in Germany, particularly in Brandenburg. With its front legs folded as if in prayer, it is clearly distinguishable from other insects. Its skillful and well-camouflaged lifestyle, however, makes searching for it quite challenging.In Brandenburg, the praying mantis was first recorded in 2007.

2 months ago · 👍 bavarianbarbarian, ruby, travisshears

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@mimas - You know, after all the excitement for Pokemon Go, I wonder if there's a way to gamify natural observation. It'd be a lot of proprietary software for sure, but what if someone figured out how to gamify like... birdwatching. or spotting rare insects/plants/etc? You could have AI verify the most common types, and call in experts to verify unusual species. That might be good for locating them? "Gotta catch 'em all!" lmk if someone makes this...? · 2 months ago

@half_elf_monk The praying mantis Mantis religiosa is the only mantis you’ll naturally find in Germany! It originally came from Africa and slowly made its way through southern and eastern Europe, moving further north. With the current climate changes, it will likely keep spreading.

Other mantis species have also been found, but those usually come from breeding or were accidentally brought in.... · 2 months ago

Is it rare only in Germany? I live in the US and I've seen several. Or maybe there are different species? In any case, cool that you saw one! · 2 months ago

@mimas human women are not that different &) · 2 months ago

If you’re interested, take a look at this monitoring and citizen science project:

"Praying Mantis Wanted!"

https://gottesanbeterin-gesucht.de/start

The Natural History Museum Potsdam and the Mantis Friends Berlin-Brandenburg have launched the project "Praying Mantis Wanted!" with the aim of mapping the European Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa L. 1758) in the Brandenburg region. Since 2016, they have been collecting reports of sightings of this particular species of mantis · 2 months ago

The mantis is also known for its mating behavior. During or after copulation, the female may kill and eat the male. This behavior, called sexual cannibalism, is not the norm and mainly occurs under stress conditions or when food is scarce. · 2 months ago