Often times the female in a species of an insect or spider tends to be larger than the male. This difference is attributed to the connection
that the larger the female the more eggs it can produce. The orchid mantis is no exception to this difference in size between sexes,
however the reason behind this difference might be the result of something
other than an increase in the amount of eggs one can lay. It was discovered by Dr.
Cleveland and some of his colleagues, who were looking at studies on mantis shape, DNA, and size of praying in order to revise their species
classification and evolutionary history, that the orchid mantis was quite
different from their close relatives. Instead of being small and camouflaged,
the female orchid mantis was large and exhibited colors causing it stand out.
This was later
attributed to the fact that these early relatives evolved so that they could
blend in with flowers and then prey on any pollinators who came over,
eventually leading individuals to evolve to flat out mimic the flowers, so they
could attract pollinators directly to themselves. The females continued to
evolve in this way, getting bigger and exhibiting colors that made them stand out, while males evolved
differently, favoring a small size and a color scheme that enhanced camouflage. It
is interesting to see how certain organisms differ depending on the sex of the
individual. I especially enjoy that the differences between male and female
orchid mantises don’t stop on appearance alone. They also live completely
different lives. The females on one hand act as more effective predators, while
the male move around eating whatever they can catch while looking for a female.
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