There are over 2,400 species of mantis. Although they are found in many differing habitats, most species of mantis prefer tropical regions such as rainforests.

Mantises aren't finicky eaters. They will eat basically anything that they can capture, overcome and eat alive, including not only other insects but small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, birds and fishes.

The closest relatives of mantises are termites and cockroaches, which are all within the superorder Dictyoptera.

About a quarter of male-female encounters result in the male being eaten by the female. Experiments show that females on poor diets are more likely to engage in sexual cannibalism than those on good diets.

Praying mantises are supremely gifted when it comes to camouflage. Different species vary in color from dark brown to green, allowing them to blend into their natural surroundings such as tree bark or green plant leaves. Some wildly ornate mantises can even mimic flowers so well that insects will attempt to pollinate them.

The word "mantis" in Greek means "prophet" or "seer". Assyrians called them necromancers. And ancient Egyptians believed the praying mantis acted as a guide along one's journey into the afterlife. During excavations at Deir el Medina, an ancient Egyptian village, a small clay coffin was found containing the remains of a praying mantis wrapped in linen.

You would think two eyes would be enough, right? Well, not for a mantis! A mantis has two big compound eyes, the ones you will easily notice, for depth vision and seeing movement. But they also have three smaller simple eyes located on the middle of their head, which can be used for detecting light.

The eyespots on the spiny flower mantis' wings are reminiscent of the number 9 and serve to deter predators. But these creatures are vicious predators themselves, preferring to snatch their prey--usually pollinating insects--directly from the air.

Mantises not only eat small birds, but they go about it in particularly gory fashion. One study examined 147 cases of mantis-on-hummingbird predation and found that when it comes to birds, mantises are basically little green zombies, burrowing in through the eye sockets to devour the brains of still-living birds.

The female lays between 10 and 400 eggs, depending on the species. Eggs are typically deposited in a froth mass-produced by glands in the abdomen. This froth hardens, creating a protective capsule, which together with the egg mass is called an ootheca. Depending on the species, the ootheca can be attached to a flat surface, wrapped around a plant, or even deposited in the ground.