5" Wild Praying Mantis in Michigan

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I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.

Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!

 
asylum23 said:
I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!
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That sounds about right. ;) Most common mantis in the US.

 
asylum23 said:
I guess I am not very proficient at the ruler/camera combo, it was 3", I did measure, but it started flying all over. I put him/her in the woods, maybe I'll try again.Are these common??? I was thinking it was a leaf bug? I have tons and tons of grasshoppers and locusts, which I know all 3, w/ the katydid, are related. Thanks!
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Wait a sec...are you talking about the katydid being 3'' or the mantid being 3''?

 
asylum23 said:
I did think about keeping him, but my worry was he was old! I thought he would die and then I'd feel terrible. He probably must get around good to be so big, but when it gets colder here in MI, will they not just die? Also, I pulled the webs off of him after I took these photos, then he ran to the back of the garage. You can't miss him if he's out again, I could see him from far away. Thanks!
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The size of a mantid doesn't determine how old it is. Based on your photos, that mantid was still in his prime. And yes, they'll die when the cold sets in.

 
Ntsees said:
The size of a mantid doesn't determine how old it is. Based on your photos, that mantid was still in his prime. And yes, they'll die when the cold sets in.
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Yes, I figured, I'm used to raising them in Las Vegas where it didn't get that cold, not like Detroit. The katydid is 3" and the Chinese is 5", I measured both and both flew when I did the ruler. Tho neither seemed too proficient at flying.

 
asylum23 said:
Yes, I figured, I'm used to raising them in Las Vegas where it didn't get that cold, not like Detroit. The katydid is 3" and the Chinese is 5", I measured both and both flew when I did the ruler. Tho neither seemed too proficient at flying.
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Oh. Thought you mean't the mantis was 3.

 
hibiscusmile said:
I cant believe the size of that katydid!
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Are they usually smaller? I haven't seen one since I was little, always called them leaf bugs. I put him in the forest on leaves that looked just like him, so he should be safe. I have locusts here too that are super huge, I know the female is larger, so it's the females I'm seeing who are huge.

 

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