"In nature, to eat is to survive and predators come in a variety of shapes and sizes." "There are far more insect predators than any other, with over nine hundred thousand recorded species and millions undiscovered." "Among the most fascinating are the incredible Mantids and the spectacular Dragonflies, longtime survivors and tiny perfect predators." "A marsh in Canada' s southern Ontario is a good place to look for colourful dragonflies." "However, for some, a dragonfly is just an annoying insect helicopter that dive-bombs cottagers in the summer." "They've been called Mosquito Hawks, Darning Needles and Snake Doctors... but are, in fact, three hundred million year old descendants of the largest recorded insect, a giant dragonfly that was buzzing around long before the dinosaurs" "and the bird... and flying with the dragonflies through their secret world can be a revelation." "Dragonfly species are as different from each other as butterflies... and there are over five hundred thousand species worldwide." "Catching insects in flight is their specialty." "Voracious feeders, their mouth parts, and their mandibles, are strong and scissor-like." "The large domes on their heads are their superb compound eyes that contain almost thirty thousand individual lenses." "And all six legs are bunched together, forward and under the head." "This creates a unique feeding basket for grabbing and holding prey." "Exciting dragonfly species can also be found in the American southeast, including the freshwater wetlands of Florida." "Florida also has its share of brilliantly-camouflaged mantids, those other tiny perfect predators." "This lichen-mimicking Tree Mantid is only one inch long and may spend its whole life in this one tree." "Hiding among the lichen, it waits to ambush insect prey." "Its keen eyes focus on a cricket nearby, also hunting for food." "The mantid rises up on its legs, swaying to disguise its body shape." "Unaware, the cricket moves closer." "The mantid's uniquely-adapted, bared forelegs snap forward and seize the prey with lightning speed... and bring it within reach of the mantid' s powerful jaws." "Impaled on the sharp, spiny barbs, the cricket cannot escape the clutches of this deadly predator." "Each dragonfly species has its own specific habitat; in lakes, streams or wetland ponds." "This is an unstable or "quaking bog."" "Only in this one habitat can we observe the male Nanothemus Bella, patrolling and defending his private domain, while waiting for a mature, striped female of the species to arrive in his tiny territory." "At one inch, they are the smallest dragonflies in North America... and rarely venture more than a few feet from this miniature pond in the quaking bog." "Superior fliers, a dragonfly' s powerful but primitive wins/ operate separately, something unique among flying insects." "The front wings beat down while the rear wings make an upbeat, and so on... although both pairs lock together horizontally when gliding, or at rest." "Their massive eyes are their most important, and almost exclusive, sensory Organ, that can detect movement up to forty feet away." "Two members of the Skimmer family demonstrate how a dragonfly breathes more efficiently than a mammal, taking oxygen into its trachea through tiny pores in the abdomen." "Close by is a female Green pond Hawk." "A dragonfly' s transparent wings are heavily- veined for strength and durability... and for something totally unique, there are counter-balances or stabilizers, near the tips of the leading edges." "A black-caped, male Window displays its tiny counter-balances." "Resting with its wings upright and together is an Ebony Jewel Wing... belonging to the same order, but smaller, more slender and delicate, a much weaker flier with a butterfly's fluttering wing beat." "In May, both the temperature and the activity heats up in the southern" "Ontario wetlands." "Dragonflies that emerged earlier this year are now adults and ready to mate, including any new generations returning from the south." "All day, males patrol and defend their territories." "A pond lily serves as a landing pad for a male Dragonfly, who is off and flying every time an intruder is sighted." "Adult Mute swans and their young feed in a shallow marsh pond... while nearby dragonflies engage in courtship and mating, with its strange, almost bizarre positions and behavior." "Huge, female Dragonslayers are already depositing their fertilized eggs into the water... one at a time." "A male Dragonslayer will often hover around, guarding his mate." "The eggs drop to the sandy bottom of the pond, or cling to underwater vegetation." "Species differ and eggs may be dropped off in a variety of ways and locations... but it's sights like this that grab our attention, two damselflies joined in tandem." "He's up front, she's behind." "It's courtship and mating behavior." "They may fly around like this, both before and after mating." "Another male tries to break up the attached couple." "He is unsuccessful, but hangs around anyway." "Now what exactly is going on here?" "Well, it's called full contact mate guarding." "Joined in tandem, the blueish male damselfly stands guard over his mate, while she deposits her eggs in the water." "In fact, he seems to go beyond the call of duty and pushes her right down into the water." "Eventually, he breaks contact, hovers briefly and usually flies off... probably to find another female." "While she lays the eggs, two Green Darners do a balancing act." "Again, he provides full-contact mate guarding... also demonstrated by this pair of Green Darners." "He holds on to her neck with a pair of special claspers at the tip of his abdomen." "Earlier, while mating in tandem, she curled up her abdomen until it made contact with a unique sperm pouch in his upper abdomen." "That's how the eggs she is now laying became fertilized." "It requires the skills of an aerial gymnast." "There are more than eighteen hundred mantid species worldwide, but only a dozen or so in the United States... and only two species have spread north into the meadows of southern Ontario." "The European Mantid lives here, but except for farmers almost no one ever sees one." "Called the Praying Mantis, it is up to three inches long and a deadly ambush hunter." "To subdue struggling prey, the neck and head are often eaten first." "European Mantids were first introduced into the United States from Europe, about one hundred years ago, to reduce insect crop pests and are considered beneficial." "They are hard to find because they blend in so well with the natural foliage... with their green or sometimes light brown camouflage, wings that extend over and beyond their bodies, long thin necks and small heads." "Strictly carnivores and opportunistic feeders, they will consume caterpillars, bees, moths, butterflies, almost anything they can overwhelm." "They have a unique, defensive eye spot on the upper inside of their forelegs... as displayed by this female European Mantid." "Nearby, a female hangs upside down, clinging to a branch in a territorial display involving another female mantid, who aggressively flashes her eye spot." "Making threat noises by rubbing their abdomens against their wings, and trying to look as large as possible, the female gladiators go head to head." "Eventually, one female backs away slowly and is chased form the combat zone." "The other mantid species found in southern Ontario is the equally elusive Chinese Mantid, at up to four inches, the largest mantid in North America." "An alien, that probably arrived by boat, in produce from China, also about one hundred years ago, it now shares some of the beneficial reputation of its European cousin." "Green or btown, slender with extended wings, the Chinese Mantid has no eye spots." "However, its powerful, spiny forearms have all the outstanding mantid characteristics." "This small, brownish juvenile has only partially developed wings." "Its movements are typically slow and cautious." "Another juvenile demonstrates how its forelegs also function as flexible arms, uniquely adopted for climbing, grasping and holding on to vegetation... assisted by two pairs of nimble, toothpick-thin, middle and hind legs... a super efficient walking, climbing and leaping insect." "Like all mantids, it is also equipped with keen, binocular vision." "A different Chinese mantid juvenile, as green as the background foliage, reveals its own pair of small, underdeveloped wings." "As juvenile mantids grow to maturity, they shed their skin several times during the summer." "They are highly vulnerable to birds and other predators until their new body or outer exoskeleton hardens." "They go through what is called an incomplete metamorphosis." "Blood is pumped from their abdomens to expand the wings." "Not all mantid species have wings... and of those that do, many will never fly." "Others will fly only for short hops, or to prey on other flying insects." "Many that fly by night have a single ear on their thorax, a sonar device, to protect them from bats." "Truly amazing creatures." "Only rarely are mantids observed mating in the wilds and it can be downright dangerous... depending on how skillful the smaller male is in landing on just the right location on the female's back and securing a firm grip," "also how receptive the female is." "Sperm is transferred when the tips of their abdomens make contact." "All appears to be going smoothly with this pair of European Mantids." "But with this mating pair, the male's neck has been forced down and his head has come perilously close to the female's head and mouth." "He may not be long for this world." "Another female demonstrates how she can reach back with her back with her powerful forearms and try to grab the male's head." "She fails, at least temporarily." "A hungry female grabs a grasshopper and begins to eat it, while the smaller male is still attached and copulating." "She appears to ignore him altogether." "And here's another mating pair" "She swings her neck around until the two of them meet face to face." "She grabs neck and head with her forearms." "He struggles but is soon overcome." "She begins to feed on his neck while he is still alive." "That's the popular myth about mating mantids." "The myth is that happens every time." "In fact, it's not all that common and certainly not mandatory... just an ever-present possibility." "People have come up with strange justifications for this aggressive behavior." "One theory is that drive by hunger pangs, the female will eat anything available... and it may be largely a matter of mistaken identification... he's just another insect." "Scientists, however, seem to favour the idea that she just wasn't in the mood." "There's more to come." "The tip of this male's abdomen continues to copulate long after he's lost his fead." "Of course, all this is done in private and not meant for our eyes." "Maybe it's just the most extreme expression of the mantid's exceptional predatory instincts." "Just as unique, but not as traumatic, is the mantid egg laying procedure." "Again this is a female European Mantid." "As the eggs fertilize, her abdomen fills with a froth-like substance." "When the time is right, she releases the froth, often on the underside of a branch." "The froth hardens into a protective egg case." "Suspended in the froth, fertilized eggs are deposited in two chambers inside the tiny egg case." "Here, the eggs winter over and hatch into miniature mantids the following spring." "Her work almost complete, her abdomen, once filled with forth, returns to its normal silhouette." "Her short life is almost over." "She will not live to see her mantid offspring." "A one inch mantid egg cause looks nothing like a larger wasp's nest, with hundreds of compartments for eggs and larva." "Where mantids are solitary insects, wasps have a sophisticated, colonial social structure." "Of course, they're food for the mantids, as are bees and hornets." "This is a Golden Digger Wasp, a more solitary species." "With its poisonous stinger it has immobilized a Katydid... and is about to deposit its prey in a hole nearby." "Looking around, possibly with an eye out for intruders and scavengers, the wasp flies off momentarily, but soon returns." "It removes debris from the hole opening, scrapes away some sand and a few stones, and then plunges into the hole." "The objective is to deposit a fertilized egg on the body of the paralyzed katydid." "This feat accomplished, it attempts to build up, or fortify, the opening to its secret den site." "It's the following spring and a fair number of mantid egg cases have survived the winter." "Suddenly, a swarm of one centimeter long, miniature Chinese Mantids emerge from an egg cause in a tangled frenzy, crawling over each other to reach the adjoining tree, where almost immediately they begin hunting for food." "Their life will be short, only a few months at best, until the first heavy frost in the fall... but for now, it's a scene like so other." "But they have entered a dangerous world." "A hatchling is soon caught in a nearby spider's web." "Only two dragonfly species found in Canada are migratory, and one of them, the Green Darner, may be found wintering in Florida." "The females deposit their eggs in shallow, freshwater ponds." "Their larvae, or nymphs, share the semi tropical habitat with a variety of local species." "If a dragonfly nymph survives the first few weeks, it will turn into a formidable underwater predator, preying on other larvae and aquatic insects, tadpoles, crustaceans and small fish." "The nymphs are equipped with large, compound eyes, keen stereoscopic vision and an internal range finder... and an absolutely unique hinged labium or lower lip, that can fold back and lie flat until it shoots forward like an arm," "at one three-hundredths of a second to capture prey." "They are ambush hunters but also pursue prey." "Here we see the lower lip extension holding the prey securely, while the nymph feeds with its sharp, jagged mandibles." "Other nymphs try their skills, with varying success." "This nymph thinks it has found something special but it's only a stick" "Another nymph has considerably more success and the action of its lower lip extension is even more clearly demonstrated." "There's nothing like it in the entire insect world." "After a meal, a nymph grooms its eyes, face and mouth parts." "Once called "water lizards", they are cannibalistic little carnivores that consume huge numbers of mosquito larvae, but also other dragonfly nymphs." "They are most vulnerable when shedding, which they do several times before emerging as adults." "Their new bodies are white and soft... and must harden like their discarded outer exoskeletons." "A Giant Water Bug, waiting in ambush, is a neighbour to avoid... and a nymph moves slowly into the trap." "Competition for food is fierce down here, even for one of the best aquatic predators." "A nymph comes close to the surface where a Least Bittern is waiting to feed." "Whether a nymph or a fish, survival depends on who is above you and who is below, in nature's food chain." "Possibly the most dramatic hours in the life of a dragonfly nymph are during its final molt, when it emerges as an adult." "This emergence often takes place on a summer night, alone, in the darkness before dawn, that offers protection from predators." "When the time comes, a Green Darner nymph leaves its Florida underwater habitat and climbs up a plant stem, until it finds a safe place to stop and hold on tight." "Soon it begins to molt." "Its skin splits across the head and sown the back." "The head breaks through first, then the legs." "The entire procedure will take about forty-five minutes." "When most of the body has emerged, it stretches back and downward... the white strands are its discarded trachea, its old breathing system... and it hangs there, by the tip of its abdomen, until it snaps back up," "clutches its old body and frees the abdomen." "It is now a dragonfly, but its small, crumples wings must be inflated." "Abdominal fluid is pumped into the wings and they slowly begin to expand." "In close up, the pumping action is clearly visible." "It's an astonishing metamorphosis... but as with the mantids, an incomplete metamorphosis, from larva to dragonfly with no pupa or cocoon stage... and with its new, bright green body it looks nothing like its former self," "that drab, unattractive little nymph." "It's a Cinderella story." "But the delicate dragonfly is highly vulnerable, completely defenceless at this stage." "Its wings must dry and its body harden before it can fly, before it can hope to escape form danger." "At first, the wings are close together and almost vertical, like a damselfly." "In time, they flatten out and take on the characteristic dragonfly horizontal position." "If all goes well, by the time the sun rises, the dragonfly will be ready to embark on its maiden flight, into the wetlands of Florida." "Back in Ontario, young dragonflies emerge anytime from May to early August." "As in Florida, certain species emerge individually and at night... while other species, like this Skimmer nymph, boldly emerge during daylight hours." "They are more vulnerable, but it takes less time for their bodies to harden and wings to dry, on a hot, breezy summer day." "But these are mass emergences, involving hundreds of dragonflies at one time." "It has something to do with safety and survival in numbers." "Turtles and other predators hide in the vegetation and frogs are always a threat." "A young White Tail Deer grazes by the edge of the marsh." "An adult Green Darner rests on a plant nearby and a dramatic close up highlights the Darner's enormous eyes." "A Green frog fixes its attention on what could be its next meal." "The marsh dragonfly population is reduced by one." "But in these southern Ontario wetlands, where up to two dozen species may be found in one region alone, a healthy number Of dragonflies will survive into late autumn, when their short adult life will end." "One just has to look for them." "Dragonfly species can be as different and special as rare and beautiful gem stones." "Moving south to Central America, a narrow river winds through the marvelous rain forest of Costa Rica." "Parrots and other colorful birds are easily observed." "But local mantid species, like this four inch, solid green, Leaf Mantid, live more secretive lives... and unless mimicking a leaf in the wind, rarely call attention to themselves." "Larger Iguanas share the habitat and have their own cryptic camouflage." "Although mantids prefer to sit and wait to ambush prey, when hungry, they will wander and stalk other insects, like this grasshopper." "They have only their superior, stereoscopic eyes, no other senses, to guide them." "Small lizards, frogs and snakes, even hummingbirds are preyed on by large mantids... as are the beartiflu butterflies, that live in abundance in the rain forest." "The stalking of prey continues." "Now the mantid's swaying and head swiveling movements may have something to do with confirming a sighting, or computing distance and location." "It leaps to another vantage point." "Its target could be this butterfly." "The mantid's attention is so focused on what's up ahead, it fails to turn around and see the small greenish frog a few steps behind." "What is up ahead is a Green Parrot Snake, that may have spotted the frog, but not the approaching mantid." "The snake has no interest in eating the mantid... but the cautious mantid, not taking any chances, steps gingerly past the snake, and continues on its way." "In a tangle of rain forest vegetation, there is a flash of red and something silvery that glistens in the sunlight." "Just one of the many attractive dragonfly species found here along with Damselflies like this creatively-camouflaged Forest Dancer, with black markings on its wings that seem detached, floating in space, until it moves." "Insects thrive in a rain forest, possibly millions of species, many feeding on other insects." "Golden Silk Spiders spin webs to capture dragonflies and other prey, they might not hope to catch in any other way." "A dragonfly is one of the best escape artists, but with its wings entangled in a spider's web, it is all but helpless." "It struggles at first, but eventually loses the battle." "Now, the spider cuts the dragonfly from the web with unusual dexterity." "Then it shackles its prey, ties it up, wrapping the dragonfly in silk threads and begins to cart it away." "High in the canopy, a Howler Monkey, moving swiftly through the trees, transports its baby on its back." "Every tree, every clump of vegetation is alive with nature's wonders." "But what's so special about three dead leaves?" "Well, one of them isn't what it appears to be." "It's another insect species, a Katydid, flawlessly mimicking a dead leaf." "Stepping through the lichen and not nearly so elaborately camouflaged is this huge insect, a four inch long, dark purplish grasshopper, an awesome-looking creature o any smaller insect." "Another rain forest insect is sighted, a primitive-looking weevil, with a long, furry sensory extension from its head." "Then once again there is a brilliant optical illusion... another greenish juvenile Leaf Mantid with a completely different body shape an undisputed master of disguise." "Exploration through the rain forests of Central America continues." "An interesting looking tropical animal climbs through the trees, a Coati Mundi, a distant relative of the raccoon that feeds both in the trees and on the forest floor." "A Coati Mundi is far more visible in its habitat than this lichen mimicking Tree Mantid." "From on top, another Lichen Mantid is almost completely lost against its background." "Hungry, but not content to just sit and wait for prey, a different, equally well-disguised lichen Mantid crawls slowly up a tree." "An amazing close up of a tiny predator." "Now you see it, now you don't." "A nimble Katydid races up another tree." "A lichen Mantid sights the approaching prey." "It's all over for the Katydid in a fraction of a second and mealtime for the mantid." "While still eating, the lichen mimicking tree Mantid almost disappears from view." "A tiny, extremely thin, twinge mimicking stick Mantid is discovered in the same habitat, also searching for insect prey." "It's just as difficult to observe." "A short distance away, near the shores of a quiet rain forest river, one could walk right past this foot long, giant Stick insect." "Wingless and strictly vegetarian, it's not even a distant relative of the mantid... but is well camouflaged and an exceptional stick mimic." "It even sways gently in the wind, like a mantid." "In contrast, journeying across the ocean to the island of Mozambique off the" "Easterm coast of Africa, a Stick Mantid, a wingless female, is seen moving slowly through the tropical vegetation." "Some mantids change color or can appear darker, or lighter." "But unlike chameleons, it doesn't happen overnight." "This female is brown and dark... and she can stretch her body until it is as long and straight as any stick, twig or branch." "Continuing westward into the jungles of Malaysia, there are more fascinating mantids to observe." "While walking or climbing, the movements of mantid's forelegs can have an eerie resemblance to the hands and arms of a human being more so maybe than any other insert." "Spiders have their own technique for spinning the finest threads and are compared only rarely to human weavers of silks and satins but here's a mantid pose a person might adopt while sitting for a portrait." "However, a dangling caterpillar is unmistakably itself." "Finally, there's the mantid E T." "Head and face... the humanoid, Sci-fi alien look." "But in the natural world these seemingly human characteristics are only amusing at best." "A mantid is a mantid, not a person, but nonetheless, quite spectacular." "Here is another juvenile Green Mantid." "Its wings may be underdeveloped but its hunting adaptations and skills are impressive and one can actually see food moving down the transparent mantid's digestive tract." "Tropical birds streaks of color to the Malaysian rain forests." "Insects thrive here and among native insect species, the Malaysian Wood Nymph, about seven inches long, is a leaf mimicking leaf insect." "Unlike a mantid, it has a short neck and rather ordinary forelegs." "Its sturdy middle and hind legs appear to do the bulk the physical labor, as it crawls upside sown along the underside of a branch." "Big and menacing as it is, it is still well camouflaged." "Deep in the forest at the foot of these remote Malaysian mountains, the most beautiful wild orchids grow, as if in some enchanted garden." "Beautiful, yes, but what do orchids have to do with mantids?" "A rare insect-eating flower, another Venus Flytrap perhaps?" "No, it's an insect." "An Orchid Mantid, a juvenile." "Only the juveniles look exactly like the petals of an orchid... and come in white and an assortment of muted colours... to test your eyesight." "An older adult female, yellowish with black markings, would never pass a purple orchid... although a close up of one of her petal-shaped, foreleg appendages is impressive." "Despite the problem with color, the female's physical disguise is incredible... this older male possible a little less deceptive." "The female seems to be wearing a ballroom party mask, hiding her eyes and face... and there is a surprising difference in size between the adult male and the much larger female Orchid Mantid." "But it's the juveniles that make the orchids come alive." "Eating can be a messy affair, so the Orchid Mantids rigorously clean their eyes and mouth pars... and rmove debris from their leg spines." "Then it's back to just sitting and waiting among the orchids for the next feeding opportunity to arrive." "In the tropical rain forests of Malaysia, we've seen mantids disguised as green leaves, lichen, sicks and even delicate orchid petals... but there is one more group of nature mimicking mantids to be revealed... the Dead Leaf Manids," "usually found hiding on old leaves or in decaying leaf litter." "Many of their individual dead leaf designs and patterns, with veins, mold and decay spots, wrinkles and curled edges are among the most detailed and imaginative camouflage in all of nature." "The word "mantis" means guru or prophet... and this is the classic posture of a mantis at prayer." "A juvenile mantid whose wings have not developed may have a look all its own... possibly shriveled up, ragged and torn... disguising its tender age and vulnerability." "Each pattern of deception seems hand-crafted one of a kind." "And it's the same with this juvenile moving through the forest, its abdomen gnarled and curled like a dead leaf." "Some tropical species share the mantid's reputation for excellence in mimicry... and this is one of them, the Horned Frog." "Even with its superior vision, a juvenile mantid may have a problem seeing through the Horned Frog's camouflage... unless, of course, the frog moves and maybe not even then." "At little over a month old, this juvenile's dead leaf disguise not only protects it, but makes it an efficient and dangerous insect predator." "A cricket is sighted." "It passes just out of range, not seeing the mantid but the mantid stalks its prey... suddenly, it lunges forward and grabs the cricket." "Mantids live short, solitary lives and learn very early how to look after themselves." "Here is a very old Dead leaf Mantid." "Huge, flared, mottled-green capes cover its wings and body." "An intruder is spotted, a younger, brownish adult mantid." "Territorial aggression is not uncommon." "A threat display may involve an adult rising up, spreading its wings and bringing its forearms up to its face, like a boxer." "The point is made... back off." "The look is menacing, and the dark eye spots are clearly displayed." "Physical combat is seldom necessary." "It's been quite a journey into the private lives of Mantids and Dragonflies... the beautiful aerobatic dragonflies with their powerful, primitive wings, surprising feeding and mating behavior, and highly dramatic life cycle." "And the fabulous Mantids with their keen eyesight and predatory forearms, exceptional adaptations and disguises for mimicking nature, and their frenzied entrance into the world." "...unforgettable images, like the female dragonfly laying eggs, while joined in tandem to her guardian mate." "Their secrets revealed, their reputation is now established." "They are indeeed, tiny, perfect predators."