The Pink Praying Mantis

You’re probably only familiar with the run of the mill green praying mantis. But did you know that a pink praying mantis actually exists? Let me tell you, they are not common. It’s not like there are a whole lot of things that a pink praying mantis can blend into. They tend to be either green, brown, or yellow. In fact, this pink praying mantis is most likely an anomaly among its kind.

Praying mantis generally use their ability to camouflage themselves against things like leaves, branches, and other natural plant life in order to attack their prey unawares. A pink praying mantis has significantly less options when it comes to what they can use as camouflage. I guess they could hide among some flowers…perhaps pink flowers such as zinnias, dahlias, roses, etc. The thing is, these insects only have a lifespan of roughly nine months – and that’s pushing it. I would think that these unfortunate pink praying mantis probably don’t last too long…maybe a month or two? So, why do they even exist in nature? It just seems cruel.

What possible reason could there be for a pink praying mantis to be born? Are there any benefits to being pink instead of green?