6. Female Mantids Sometimes Eat Their Mates
Yes, it's true, female praying mantids do
cannibalize their sex partners. In some instances, she'll even behead the poor chap before they've consummated their relationship. As it turns out, a male mantid is an even better lover when his brain, which controls inhibition, is detached from his abdominal ganglion, which controls the actual act of copulation. Cannibalism is variable across the different mantid species, with estimates ranging from about 46% of all sexual encounters to none at all.1 It occurs among praying mantids between 13–28% of natural encounters in the field.
A fascinating praying mantis fact is that they can rotate their heads 180 degrees, allowing them to spot and capture prey with incredible precision.
www.thoughtco.com