Giant rainforest mantis
The giant rainforest mantis is one of the biggest praying mantises in the world. It is usually leafy green, but a few are bright yellow. It holds its spiky front legs together like it is praying, ready to grab its next meal.
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Fun facts
It can grow up to about 11 centimetres long, as long as a big hand.
It even eats other mantises.
It was first found near Cairns in Queensland and described in 1923.
Most of them are green, which helps them hide among the leaves.
Most asked questions about Giant rainforest mantis
?How big is the giant rainforest mantis?
About 7 to 11 centimetres long, which makes it one of the largest mantises in the world.
?What does the giant rainforest mantis eat?
Mostly insects, but also spiders and sometimes small geckos, frogs or baby snakes.
?Is the giant rainforest mantis dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people, though its spiky legs can pinch a little.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hierodula majuscula
- Named by
- Tindale, 1923
- Group
- Mantises
- Family
- Mantidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Mantodea > Mantidae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Australian giant mantis
Where the facts come from
- Hierodula majuscula (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by (c) Kai Squires, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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