Does Praying mantises ever sleep?

[sinder151]

Ive been watching my mantises alot when its night time for them, and they always have their eyes open and is moving its head when it sees my finger or sumthing. do they sleep?

 

[Sticky]

I've wondered that too. Night is thier active time for most I think.

 

[hibiscusmile]

good thing I am not in there when nite comes, I think all those staring eyes would give me nightmares!

 

[Rick]

They can't close their eyes. That just wouldn't be possible. They may have some version of sleep or rest but if they do it is likely much different than what you and I call sleep.

 

[I_love_mantids]

They don't have eyelids so it's impossible unless they can sleep with their eyes open.

 

[Paradoxica]

It seems like they kind of just shut down or tune out sometimes. Every now and then I'll hold food up in front of them to hand feed, and they don't seem to notice it unless it touches them. I think that's their version of "Sleep"

 

[Digger]

I've many times witnessed Tenodera sinensis become "startled" out of what appears to be a transfixed state. You can be studying one - eye to eyes without the animal being seemingly aware of your presence. Then, they suddenly twitch or instantly turn their head toward you after a certain time (for no apparent reason). Perhaps they can enter a rest state? Nature, methinks, wouldn't let these animals become too "out-of-it." They wouldn't survive as a species.

 

[AxolotlsAreCoolToo]

i suspect they get enough rest waiting for prey for most of their live's

 

[Domanating]

They definitely have some kind of sleep state.

I've witnessed what Digger and Paradoxica mentioned with all my Religiosas, no exceptions. They do this kind of rest generally at dusk/early night hours and then become more active later in at the middle of the night.

I think this behavior is perfectly acceptable in the wild. Knowing that one of the worst predators of mantids are bats, standing completely motionless is the best defense.

Also I've found that they barely or don't react at all to visual input while in this state but they do wake up with surface vibrations, even tiny ones.

So with aerial assault out of the equation, they still have their vibration sensors on alert for terrestrial creatures.