Orchid Mantis

Southeast Asia · camouflage · predator · flower mimic

Looks like a flower. The orchid mantis is pink and shaped like an orchid blossom, which helps it hide among real flowers in tropical forests. Insects visiting the flowers never see it coming.

Master of disguise. This mantis doesn't just hide by accident, it evolved specifically to look like an orchid as a hunting trick. It sways gently like a flower moving in the wind to make the disguise even more convincing.

Super speedy hunter. When an insect lands on what it thinks is a real flower, the mantis strikes with lightning-fast reflexes. Its front legs grab prey so quickly that the insect has no time to escape.

Tropical Southeast Asian home. Orchid mantises live in the warm, wet forests of Southeast Asia where orchids grow wild. They've perfectly adapted to life among the flowering plants of their rainforest home.