There are some incredible insects on our planet, like the plastic-eating insect that could help combat world waste and the bizarre bug that saws tiny sticks and builds little log cabins to live in. While those two insects have strange behaviors, other bugs are strange in how they look, like the world's cutest insect that looks like a panda but has some serious deception going on.
Another insect with a strange appearance is the dragon mantis. These mini "dragons" look like they came straight out of a fantasy novel or movie. But despite looking so strange, dragon mantises are hard to spot thanks to their leaf-like appendages.
Still, that's not all that's strange (and cool) about these fantasy-looking bugs. They also have a weird way of walking that's pretty effective at keeping them safe. Let's learn more about the dragon mantis, how they got their name, and why they are such amazing insects.
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What Are Dragon Mantises?
They mostly live in tropical rainforests
Dragon mantises are rarely seen mantises that mainly live in Central and South America. They can be found in the following countries:
Brazil Ecuador Peru
It is also possible to see them in tropical forests in Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. But the majority of them are found in Central and South America. Even so, they are very elusive, and there aren't nearly as many dragon mantises as there are other mantis species.
There are several different species of dragon mantis, including the Peruvian dragon mantis (Stenophylla lobivertex) and the Brazilian dragon mantis (Stenophylla cornigera).
Brazilian dragon mantises are named for their appearance, which resembles mythical Chinese dragons, and these dragon mantises are the main focus of this article.
There is another dragon mantis species (Toxodera beieri) that is extremely rare and is found only in mountainous regions of Malaysia. But new mantis species are being discovered all the time, so there could be more dragon mantises that are out there just waiting to be discovered (or not, thanks to their elusiveness!).
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Brazilian Dragon Mantises Are Masters Of Disguise
This is why they are so hard to find
Although the Amazon Rainforest is one of the most popular destinations, there are plenty of underrated places to visit in Brazil, including the Atlantic Forest, the only place in the world where you can find Brazilian dragon mantises.
But add them to the list of animals that are so well-camouflaged that you'd never see them right in front of you because these animals are masters of disguise! These dragon mantises have leaf-like appendages that help them blend into the surrounding trees.
They also have grayish or brownish lobes that look like they are covered in scaly armor, as well as spiky eyes. This is how they got their name of "dragon mantis", because of their resemblance to Chinese dragons.
Close
Dragon mantises also have wings that are almost translucent, which allows the sun to pass through them and further helps them blend in.
But it's not just their appearance that helps them blend in. It's also how they walk. Dragon mantises with a slight tremor in their gait, which mimics the movement of leaves in a breeze. This is mainly for protection against predators. But it's very effective even for humans.
Humans can likely see them if you look closely and know what you're looking for. But the fact that these mantises usually live in the tree canopy at the tops of trees makes them hard for even humans to see.
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A Rare Brazilian Dragon Mantis Was Captured On Video
In 2017, a dragon mantis was spotted in the Atlantic Forest
In 2017, in the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA) in the Atlantic Forest, scientists were able to capture video footage of a Brazilian dragon mantis. This was obviously a very exciting discovery since these insects are so rarely seen.
Scientists went into the Atlantic Forest to study rare mantises and their ecological role. According to Leonardo Lanna, a researcher with Projeto Mantis (Project Mantis) and the leader of the expedition:
Mantises are charming and harmless insects. They are like ambassadors, essential to break the barrier most people have with insects and the tiny world. We had a list with the greatest mantis we'd love to find during the expedition, and Stenophylla was on top of it.
Setting up light traps at night designed to lure insects, they were not only able to see a Brazilian dragon mantis but capture one on video. They were surprised, as dragon mantises are considered legendary among specialists who study them, according to Lanna.
Prior to this, most of these mantises had been seen only in museum collections. This sighting offered researchers the rare opportunity to study them in the wild. While plenty of mantis species are excellent at blending in with their surroundings, this sighting allowed scientists to more closely study the unusual movement of the Brazilian dragon mantis.
Gavin Svenson, an entomologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, says this about their wobbly gait:
So far, this is unique to this genus of mantises and the video shows this well. I have not heard a compelling reason as to why they do this other than enhancing camouflage.
It is still not known how many Brazilian dragon mantises there are in the wild, partly because they are so difficult to spot. There could be just a few out there or there could be many hiding in plain sight.
However, the threat of deforestation, especially in the rainforests of South America, means that every sighting of these insects is crucial for studying them and their role in the ecosystem, especially if there are truly only a few of them in the wild.
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Dragon mantises are just one of the many cool insects that call our planet home. Their unusual way of blending in with their surroundings and keeping themselves safe is still a bit of a mystery to scientists.
But it seems like these animals fully intend to stay out of sight. So if you ever see one while exploring the tropical rainforest, consider yourself extremely lucky.