Composition : 99.99% silver
Mintage : 7,500

Nature's Perfect Predator: The Praying Mantis

With its front legs bent in the universal position of supplication, this carnivorous insect's predatory ferocity is easy to underestimate. Mantises use these front limbs not for prayer, but to catch, hold, and devour prey up to three times their own size. And devour they do: Mantis religiosa feeds voraciously on unsuspecting moths, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects, and has been documented eating hummingbirds, snakes, lizards, rodents, turtles, and more.

The praying mantis's status as an apex predator of the insect world is rooted in three important adaptations: camouflage, unique highly acute vision, and incredible reflexes. Usually brown or green, the praying mantis has two large, compound eyes each equivalent to about 10,000 simple eyes. These compound eyes have special areas where the simple eyes are larger and allow in more light thus allowing for more acute vision and assisting the mantis in seeing prey. Unlike other insects, the mantis can swivel its head almost 360 degrees - further assisting its hunting ability. Once it has spotted a potential meal, it sits completely still, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When the mantis does strike, it does so at twicethe speed of a blinking eye. Its "praying" front arms, burred with vicious spikes along their length, lash out with astonishing speed, pinning the victim in place while the mantis almost immediately begins to feed upon its still-living quarry.

Although its cannibalistic qualities are well known - particularly its habit of sexual cannibalism, where the female attacks and eats the male during mating - this behaviour is generally sensationalized. While killing the male during mating aids with fertilization in some mantid species, the practice is notparticularly common and generally happens only when the female is desperate for food.

More than 2,000 species of these insects can be found in diverse habitats around the world. The praying mantis, Mantis religiosa, was introduced to Canada early in the 20th century and is considered a helpful insectfor farmers and gardeners because it helps to keep pest numbers down.In Canada, the praying mantis is found primarily in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

 

PRAYING MANTIS - 2012 CANADIAN COINS is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 10- FLORA, FAUNA & NATURE and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.