Why is this animal unusual?
Experiments showed that orchid mantises attract more pollinating insects than real flowers do. It’s not camouflage. It’s an advert.
Why does it look like that?
The four walking legs have flat, petal-shaped lobes. The body can shift between white and pink over a few days.
Strangest biological feature
A disguise so good that it works even when the mantis is sitting on a plain green leaf, nowhere near a flower.
Why is it strange?
Females are more than twice as long as males. And newly hatched babies don’t look like flowers at all – they’re red and black, imitating bad-tasting bugs.
Interesting behavioral facts
It sways gently, like a flower in a breeze, and strikes in a fraction of a second.
