For a long time scientists thought that the praying mantis was deaf, but now biologists know that this impressive insect does hear, although they did so after discovering that the praying mantis has only one ear, albeit a very effective one. Although the mantis has only one ear, it allows them to pick up sounds beyond the range of human hearing.
The praying mantis has only one ear, but that does not detract from its advantages
According to neuroscientist David Yager of the University of Maryland, the mantis can do an excellent imitation of a fighter jet in its flight movements. When a mantis flies trying to escape from a bat, it can suddenly stop in mid-air, turn to one side, and quickly dive, resembling the movement and power with which a military aircraft does it (although when talking about power we are talking about a smaller scale, obviously).
Yager says that the above movement "is not just a fall," and that the mantis "goes faster as it goes down." Sometimes a bat might continue the chase; other times, it might let the mantis go. When a bat goes after a swooping mantis, the mantis may hit the ground as a last resort, although as far as is known, it survives the crash, and the bat would not dare try to catch it swooping already inches above the ground, as crashing could cost it its life.
The position of the praying mantis when waiting for prey
There are about 2,300 species of praying mantises worldwide. Most of these mantids are predators that "sit waiting" for potential prey, including, if the mantis is large (as well as moths and other large or small insects), frogs, hummingbirds, and small snakes. The position of the praying mantis when waiting for prey is reminiscent of someone praying, hence its name. When the mantis stands still to wait for its potential prey, it often blends in with the leaves or twigs around it and will use its front legs to capture and hold its prey as it devours it.
The praying mantis and its unique hearing
The mantis detects approaching bats by hearing their high-frequency (ultrasonic) chirps with the only ear they have, and when perched on a branch, they would quickly drop to the ground, with the same maneuver explained above. Yager discovered the praying mantis ear when he was a graduate student in the late 1980s. In his observations, Yager discovered that most species of praying mantises have an ear in the center of their thorax, specifically in one of the chest segments. Yager observed that "that ear is unlike any other ear." In this regard, he said that the praying mantis "is the only animal known to have only one ear."
