An insect that prays! And also preys on!

    Have you seen an insect that prays? Yes, there is such an one! It is that insect called as Praying Mantis. Its forelegs are like hands When it stands up on its middle legs, it looks like a human! It puts forth its forelegs in front, back and in sidewise repeatedly. Thus it is seen as if it is praying. So, it is named as Praying mantis (Europian Praying Mantis, Mantis religiosa). Sometimes its whole body moves from side to side! This rocking behaviour of it is actually for escaping from its predators: it mimics a leaf moving in the wind breeze!

Its types are seen in different sizes and colours. It has a triangular head, that is flexible, with eyes that are protruding and big. So, it has a stereoscopic vision like humans! Its forelegs are full of spikes with which it can seize its prey, cut it and eat! Females eat the males after copulation! Female lays eggs in autumn and dies. It lives for a year. 

It is a wonderful insect that can hear sounds and even hear the ultrasound waves also! It is also kept as a pet animal. A real wonder insect in Nature! 

Toad, your companion in the backyard!

Toad is different from a frog. It lives mostly a terrestrial life. It is usually seen at dusk moving out from its hiding place and search for its prey. It is greyish brown in colour merging with the soil's colour. Skin is rough and dry unlike that of the slimy frog. Female toads are larger than the males. 

They are seen in the fields, forests and country sides having dry areas. At daytime, they are usually seen under stones camouflaging with its surroundings. They live for even 10 years long! 

They are said to shed off their skin repeatedly and eat it! Their preys are slugs, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, flies, ants and spiders. You can detect about its presence somewhere near, by noting its poops found dropped on the soil. Watch a video on it here:

These poops contain the most of these parts - ant heads, beetle wings that are thrown out as undigestible food. 

They dig pits in the moist soil at dusk, to keep themselves cool in the hot Summer! Watch a video on it:

Female toads lay eggs on the pond water. The hatched out tadpoles grow into small toads before they hop on to the land to survive as an adult. Toad's predators are rats, cats, crows and herons. 

It is the CommonToad (Bufo bufo). It bloats up its body to make its body big when it is attacked. Thus it tries to threaten its predators displaying about its big capacity to offend them! Funny, poor thing.