Mantises are an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae. Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks.

What can I feed my praying mantis?

Feed the mantis live insects. A baby mantis will feed on fruit flies that you can purchase in a pet store. Adults can live on crickets, but you should provide some variety to the diet of your pet in order to keep it healthy.

Can a praying mantis hurt you?

Clearly, these insects are voracious predators, but can a praying mantis hurt a human? The short answer is, it's unlikely. Praying mantises have no venom and cannot sting. Nor do they carry any infectious diseases.