European mantis: Wild-Life Detective

Question 1 · multiple choice

A young wildlife researcher wants to observe a European mantis in the wild. Which location is the best match?

estuaries, mangroves, rivers, lagoons, and coastal seas slow rivers, floodplains, and muddy pools in South America grassland, scrub, gardens, and warm field edges savannas and scrublands where termite colonies occur

Question 2 · multiple choice

A keeper is designing a natural feeding puzzle for a European mantis. Which menu best matches its wild diet?

fish, squid, and krill caught underwater mainly insects, with some leaves and flowers molluscs, crustaceans, sponges, algae, and hard-shelled prey insects and other small animals

Question 3 · multiple choice

A field team plans its watch around the normal routine of a European mantis. Which timing is most sensible?

hunts mainly by day from vegetation mostly active at night forages day or night with tides active mainly at night

Question 4 · multiple choice

[Image needed: a clear, unlabeled side-view photograph of a European mantis moving naturally in its wild habitat, with its whole body visible and no captions.] Which movement description is accurate for a European mantis?

walks and makes short hops rather than long leaps walks slowly, sways, and strikes suddenly with folded forelegs walks on jointed legs while carrying a borrowed shell walks on eight legs and probes with sensory combs beneath the body

Question 5 · multiple choice

Which feature-and-function explanation best describes a useful adaptation of a European mantis?

gas and liquid in shell chambers regulate buoyancy an enlarged wrist bone acts like a thumb for holding bamboo spined raptorial legs snap forward to seize prey eyes, ears, and nostrils sit high on the head for watching while mostly submerged

Question 6 · multiple choice

Which description correctly explains how a European mantis begins or cares for the next generation?

an infant rides on its mother and develops slowly over several years one young clings to the mother and learns her feeding routes eggs are laid on a simple scrape without a built nest eggs overwinter inside a foamy protective case called an ootheca

Question 7 · multiple choice

Which social pattern best describes how a European mantis interacts with others of its kind?

mostly solitary and territorial around feeding sites pairs defend territories with loud calls pairs may greet with colour changes and synchronised movements adults are stationary but live within busy reef communities

Question 8 · multiple choice

What useful role does a European mantis play in its ecosystem?

transfers ocean nutrients to sea ice colonies and feeds predators controls many insects and feeds birds, reptiles, and spiders controls insects and serves as prey for birds and snakes controls hard-shelled invertebrates on reefs

Question 9 · multiple choice

A predator approaches a European mantis. Which response is the most realistic?

uses stealth, armoured skin, powerful jaws, and a spinning roll releases high-voltage pulses that deter predators camouflages, spreads wings in a threat display, and strikes escapes underground or blocks a tunnel with its strong body

Question 10 · true false

True or False: A european mantis can rotate its triangular head far enough to look over its shoulder.

True False