🪰 Critter Fact of the Day #74
Mantis flies look like a mashup of a praying mantis and a wasp. They're harmless, just built weird. #mantisfly #insectfacts #weirdnature

A close up shot of a mantis fly holding an insect and biting into it. The mantis fly is on a leaf so the lower half of the picture is green.

Another for #invertefest!
#DicromantispaInterrupta a #mantisfly chowing down on a hapless bug.
Nomnomnom. I have a video of this too but it’s a bit grisly 😱
#insect #macro #eastcoastkin #bugsky

Yellow striped and red-brown wasp-sized winged insect with ferocious spined raptorial front legs, large bulging eyes - this mantid fly is perching on the edge of a leaf.

Whoa! A gorgeous #mantisfly (#Climaciella brunnea) #mimic of paper #wasps. #Mantispidae are uncommon #insects, but are widely distributed in the U.S. I feel lucky when I chance to see one!