Quote:
Originally Posted by Bent55
!!!! I want those!!! How do you attract them? Will they eat my geckos?
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It depends on the species of mantis, and the species of gecko. A large mantis can eat a small gecko, and a larger gecko can eat a mantis.
The largest mantis you are likely to see in the USA is the Chinese mantis (
Tenodera sinensis, introduced), which is a bit over 4 inches (11 cm) long (females; the males are smaller). They are known to eat small lizards, amphibians, and hummingbirds, as well as insects. The Chinese mantis can actually make a good pet and becomes accustomed to being handled. My son usually keeps one of these as a pet for a few months each spring and summer; he usually just finds small ones in weedy meadows and brings one home.
Another mantis that is a bit larger (13 cm) is the "megamantis",
Plistospilota guineensis, and is sometimes kept as a pet.