Praying Mantises are Expert Acrobats in Mid-Air

Praying mantises, with their twiggy limbs and long bodies, lack the look of agility, but we all know looks are often deceiving.

These lanky insects, as wingless juveniles, leap from twig to twig faster than the blink of a human eye, and they stick their landing with the precision and grace of Olympic gymnastNadia Comaneci. Researchers, intrigued by mantises’ aerial mastery, filmed hundreds of leaps by these insects and discovered the secret behind their athleticism, and it’s far from simple.

Leap and a Prayer

Using high-speed video, researchers recorded 58 young mantises leaping onto a 4-milimeter rod positioned two body lengths away. In all, they recorded 381 leaps by their cadre of mantises, revealing a consistent pattern in every attempt.

Each mantis sways their head from side to side — likely eyeing up their landing. Then, they lurch their bodies backwards and curl their abdomens up. Next, they push off the ledge with their legs and launch into their air.

Then this is where praying mantis skills really shine. While in mid-air, the insects independently rotate three different parts of their body — the abdomen, front legs and hind legs — in a choreographed, sequential order. Here’s a great video of those leaps, courtesy of New Scientist: