Softly Softly Catchee Fly

Usually when a mantis catches a fly it does so by sitting very still, waiting for a fly to come within striking distance. Its eyes are on top of its head, allowing good all round coverage. With excellent flexibility it can strike at any angle in a split second. But sometimes the fly is quite happy to stay just out of range and busily preen itself.

When I saw the mantis watching a fly on a another leaf some centimetres away I decided to keep watch myself. Nothing much happened for a few minutes. Then the mantis began to creep very slowly towards the fly, stopping frequently, until it was in range. The fly, with all round vision itself, didn’t see it coming.

In these shots the mantis appears to be more interested in the camera than the fly, but this is an optical illusion due to the structure of the eyes. Mantis eyes always seem to be looking directly at you.

Best seen full screen.