Orchid mantis rediscovered in Ning'er county

Villager Li Kang from southwest Yunnan’s Ning'er county encountered a pink mantis on his way home on January 15th. The mantis had a charming appearance resembling an beautiful orchid.

"I spotted something pink and found it quite intriguing. Then, I discovered a pink mantis with a closer look," said Li Kang, who found the mantis while returning home and called the forestry station immediately.

This mantis is predominantly pink, with a body length of approximately 6 centimeters. It remained motionless on a green leaf, resembling a blooming flower.

"After identification, it was confirmed to be an orchid mantis," stated Zhang Xingke, director of the Forestry and Grassland Service Center in Ning'er’s Liming township.

Zhang added the orchid mantis would disguise itself as a flower to lure and capture prey during its hunting process, earning the title of 'master of disguise' in the natural world.

"We are very pleased to discover an increasing number of rare wild flora and fauna. This indicates that our conservation efforts are proving effective," said Zhang Xingke.

He mentioned that forestry department in Ning'er county first recorded the orchid mantis in April 2023.

Source: Yunnan Net and Kaiping News; trans-editing by Wang Yunya