What is the origin of the term ‘predator’? It means "animal that preys upon another,” from the Latin word for “plunderer.” In the mid-1800s, the Latin term “Predatores” was used in biology to describe a group of insects that ate other insects. It’s interesting to note that praying mantises can’t sting and have no venom. And they don’t carry any infectious diseases. So, despite their saw-like arms and alien eyes, you might think they pose no threat... unless you happen to be another insect, a gecko, a hummingbird, or a praying mantis of the opposite sex. In fact, the female praying mantis is a voracious predator.
Female praying mantises have a habit of killing and eating their male partners during sex. The female bites off the male’s head and then devours his corpse for nourishment. Perhaps we should change the spelling of their name to ‘preying’ mantises.
Sexual cannibalism among praying mantises is well documented. The most widely accepted theory is that, by eating the male, the widowed female ensures that the father of her offspring is still providing for them, even though he is dead. After mating, the female stores his sperm and later uses it to fertilize the eggs she produces.
Let’s take a moment to look at this drama from the male’s perspective. The male engages the female in a courtship dance, working hard to change her interest from eating to mating. Studies show that females on poor diets are more likely to engage in sexual cannibalism than those on good diets. But the male mantis doesn’t know this. He tries to surprise her by sneaking up on her from behind, but she swivels her head to
look at him over her shoulder. He is startled because no other insect can do that. Female mantises can turn their heads a full 180 degrees.
After this strategy of surprise fails, things become even more treacherous for the male. When the mating begins, he is in a state of intense sexual arousal and red alert, until the act of dismounting after copulation poses the most dangerous challenge of all. Sadly, the odds of his survival are savagely stacked against him.
So what can homo sapiens learn from the femme fatale conduct of the praying mantis?
Let me suggest three takeaways:
One— Praying mantises aren’t the only cannibalistic lovers in the Animal Kingdom. Within certain species of spiders, the males offer themselves as filling meals to their newly-impregnated partners. And the octopus has been known to eat its friends and kill its sex partners.
Two— This practice of sexual preying by the female and praying by the male gives new meaning to the terms ‘sexual appetite’ and ‘religious rite of passage.’
And three— As it turns out, a male praying mantis is a better lover when his brain, which controls his inhibitions, is detached from his body. What does this say about the universal mantra of ‘mind over matter’? And what does it teach us about the true path to a man’s heart?