09/25/2026
Girls will be girls ✨💕💜
Pictured here is a female praying mantis that bit the head off the male will mating.
Sexual cannibalism. Nature is WILD. 🌸
Look closely. There are TWO praying mantises in this photo, and one is missing his head.
Female praying mantises are known for sexual cannibalism, where they sometimes eat their male partners during or after mating, often starting with the head.
But here’s where it gets even crazier. A male praying mantis can actually continue mating AFTER losing his head because the nerves controlling reproduction are located in his abdomen.
Mating can last for hours, and the female may continue feeding on the male while they’re still attached.
So what looks like a beautiful little moment in the flower field might actually be one of nature’s most fascinating and brutal mating rituals.
Stay weird, grow wild.
