How Praying Mantises Catch Prey in Under 100 Milliseconds #animals #shorts

A praying mantis’s folded front legs give it its familiar prayer-like posture, but these limbs are specialised hunting tools. Called raptorial forelegs, they extend towards prey before folding shut. Rows of spines along the opposing leg segments help secure the catch while the mantis feeds. The strike can take less than 100 milliseconds, equivalent to 0.1 seconds. Its speed comes from coordinated muscle action moving the leg segments. Studies of typical mantis strikes show that this movement does not require the specialised spring-loading mechanism used by mantis shrimps, which are entirely different animals. Accurate distance judgement is equally important. Researchers fitted praying mantises with tiny 3D glasses and presented them with controlled visual targets, demonstrating that they use stereoscopic vision when hunting. Information from both eyes helps them judge whether a target is within reach before committing to a strike. Their hunting movements are also flexible. Research shows that prey speed influences the speed and structure of the capture movement. Rather than performing an identical strike every time, a mantis can adjust its response to a moving target, combining visual information with rapid control of its grasping forelegs. #animals #wildlife #nature #natureholic #PrayingMantis #insects Nature, wildlife, animals, animal facts, wildlife facts, nature facts, amazing animals, wild animals, animal shorts, wildlife shorts, nature shorts, animal videos, wildlife videos, nature videos, praying mantis, mantis facts, mantis hunting, mantis strike, insects, insect predators