Gamerman, a praying mantis is an insect widely distributed throughout North America, New Zealand, Japan, and probably many other areas. They range
anywhere from about 2-12 inches and come in a variety of colours, most often green.
I have only ever seen a few in my lifetime. I saw one in the woodpile in my backyard, my neighbour found one, and I accidentally caught one in a net
thinking that it was a nice white butterfly going by (They develop wings in their "teen" stage.)
Frankly, they scare the crap out of me. If they were a little more rare, they would probably fall into the Cryptid catagory, because I would never
believe these things exist until I saw them. Here are some pics:
[edit on 13-8-2005 by Yarcofin]
[edit on 13-8-2005 by Yarcofin]