What do nymphs & mantids fall prey to?
Animals that prey on mantis nymphs are spiders, lizards, ants, birds and frogs. Until the nymph’s body hardens and changes to a darker color, he is very vulnerable to attack by predators. Many of the hundreds of nymphs that emerge from an egg case do not survive the first few hours of their lives. Animals that prey on adult mantids are birds, bats and spiders, if they happen to fly into one of their webs by mistake. What do nymphs & adult mantids eat? Nymphs, like adult mantises are strictly meat eaters. The nymphs prey upon, insects smaller than themselves, leaf hoppers, aphids, and very small flies. An adult mantis will attack butterflies, moths, bees, horseflies, beetles, or other mantises, and even animals much larger than itself–frogs, lizard, katydids, and small birds.
