Praying Mantis - Baby Mantis

Praying Mantis - Baby Mantis
Originally uploaded by Scott Dungan.

A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is an insect of the order Mantodea, named for their "prayer-like" stance. The word mantis derives from the Greek word for prophet; the plural is therefore mantes, with mantises also acceptable. There are approximately 2,300 species world-wide; most are tropical or subtropical, but several species live in temperate climates such as that of the northern United States, central Europe, and Siberia. Some texts refer to the European mantis (Mantis religiosa) as the most common praying mantis in European countries. Ischnomantis gigas is the largest mantis with 17 cm length in the female and is found in the Sahel zone of Africa. The smallest mantis is Bolbe pygmaea, which is only 1cm long.

Description from www.wikipedia.com.
Image taken in my backyard by me.