Orchid mantis Coloring Pages

A Flower Fairy! The Orchid mantis

The Orchid mantis is a type of mantis that looks just like an orchid flower. Especially when they are young, their whole body mimics a flower. They have an amazing way of living by tricking and catching their prey! Because they are so beautiful and rare, they are very popular insects in Southeast Asia.

English Name and Where the Name Came From

In English, it is called the Orchid mantis. "Orchid" means the orchid flower, so just like it looks, it got the name "mantis of the orchid flower." In Japan, it is called "Hana-kamakiri" (Flower Mantis) because it looks just like a flower.

How the Orchid mantis Is Grouped

The Orchid mantis belongs to the Hymenopodidae family in the mantis order. They are in a slightly different group from the Japanese giant mantis or Asian mantis you can see in Japan. But they are still the same kind of hunter with sharp front legs!

A Master of Changing Looks as They Grow!

The Orchid mantis changes its look a lot as it grows up.

• Just Hatched (First Stage): Their body is red, and their head and legs are black. They do not look like a flower yet! People say they copy the look of a smelly, poisonous bug to protect themselves.

• Young Orchid mantis Looking Like a Flower (Second Stage to Last Young Stage): After shedding their skin to reach the second stage, they turn bright pink or white. This is the time they look most like an orchid flower! Just sitting on a leaf makes them look like a real flower.

• Grown-up Orchid mantis (Adult): When they become adults, their body turns white with patterns. Instead of turning themselves into a flower, they switch to a style where they hide near flowers and wait to jump on prey.

It Is Not Just Looks! They Attract Prey with Smells Too

The amazing thing about a young Orchid mantis is that not only their look, but even their smell is like a flower! They give off a sweet scent like an orchid flower from the tip of their bottom. Then, they catch the bugs that come flying over, tricked by the smell.

Where Do They Live?

The Orchid mantis lives in Southeast Asia, in places like Malaysia and Indonesia. They live in places with lots of flowers, plants, and trees inside warm, humid forests.

What Do They Eat to Live?

The Orchid mantis is a meat-eating insect.

• When they are young, they mostly catch bees and wasps that gather around orchid flowers.

• When they grow up, they hide near flowers to catch and eat visiting butterflies, bees, and wasps.

Boys and Girls Are Totally Different in Size!

The Orchid mantis has a huge difference in body size between boys and girls.

• Females grow big, but males are only about half the size of females! Females have a look that makes them look like an even bigger, prettier flower.

Make Soft Pink Blends

When you color a baby Orchid mantis, think about light and dark shades of pink.

• Instead of coloring the whole thing bright pink, color the base with white or light cream.

• Gently add layers of light pink to the tips of the legs and body joints. This makes it look soft like real flower petals!

Make the Petal-Like Legs Look Real

The legs of an Orchid mantis are flat, just like flower petals.

• Try tracing the edges of the legs with a slightly darker pink.

• When you color one resting on a leaf, make the leg colors match the flowers around it. This shows off its great camouflage!

Color the Eyes Like Shiny Jewels

Mantis eyes look sparkly and bright.

• Color the whole eye with light green or yellow. Leave a tiny white spot for the light shine to make it look alive!

• Draw a small black dot in the middle to show its sharp eyes hunting for prey.

Show the Sharp Claws Hunting for Prey

The claw arms are the mantis's weapons, so color them strong and bright!

• Use a darker color to draw the prickly parts clearly. It will look like a powerful hunter!

Draw the Background to Show Great Camouflage

Have fun coloring the background to hide the Orchid mantis!

• Draw real orchid flowers around it, and color them the same as your Orchid mantis.

• If someone looks at your picture and cannot spot the mantis right away, you win!

A camouflage genius that looks just like a flower

The Orchid mantis is a mantis that lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Its legs spread out like "flower petals," and its colors are white and pink. At a quick glance, you cannot even tell it apart from a real orchid flower!

A hunter that lures prey right to itself

Usually, bugs disguise themselves in their surroundings to hide from enemies. But the Orchid mantis disguises itself as a flower to "lure bugs in." The moment butterflies or bees looking for nectar come close, thinking it is a flower, it quickly catches them with its proud front legs!

Its look changes when it grows up?

Actually, it only looks just like a flower when it is a "child (nymph)." When it becomes an adult and grows wings on its back, its color settles into a whitish tone, and its shape slowly gets closer to a normal mantis you usually see.

Even more flower-like than a real flower?

The pink color of the Orchid mantis is super bright. Studies show that to the eyes of other bugs, it actually looks like a "flower even more charming than a real orchid flower." It is a mysterious insect that uses its body color and shape perfectly to pretend to be a flower!