Did the best I could without a macro lens for my Olympus.
Although, I have been looking and I can get one for about 160 bucks.
I found a nest of babies about 3 weeks ago and they were only about an inch or two long. This one was about 3 inches or so.





Jake

Dude.. that first pic is AWESOME!! Mantis' are freakin cool!

So much cleaner and more efficicent than spiders...   

Next time you see one, try weaving your head side to side while it is looking at you.  It will mimic you and climb up your arm.  I've tried this experiment with several mantids.  They're smart!

Oh you bastards. Are ya trying to make me throw up? Ok, it may not be as bad as some of the other ones, but it's still a creepy crawly that I could do without. That's it! Everyone who posts those pics, I'm banning ya... in my head.

Mantis's are something that should do that to you. There pretty harmless. Plus your not allowed to kill them. Since the government has tagged all of them. And if you kill one you are immediatley thrown into a turkish prison with a tag that says "Butt rape me"

bugs yeaaaaa

Dude less than 8 legs. Works for me.

Actually I think the Mantis is protected federally. Translation, do not tamper with.

Plus they look so fragile. AND CUTE!!!!!

sweet man!  actually they arent cute at all. they are some f%$king vicious predators!  i saw a special on discovery and there was soem footage of mantiseses catching humingbirds and eating them. snakes and frogs too!

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx

yep they can be downright nasty. Around here some of the bigger females turn brown towards the end of summer to better blend in with the bark on the trees.

Jake