The Pink Orchid Mantis

With a pink and white body and large lobes on its feet resembling flower petals, Hymenopus coronatus is a beauty, but the life of this "flower mantis" is not all roses.

If you're a male mantis, you'd better watch out! Your girl may be pretty, but she could be twice your size. Plus, she's hungry, all the time. And there's a good chance you are on the menu. To avoid being eaten whilst trying to woo her affections, do your little courtship dance, so she forgets how tasty you look. But if it does all go wrong, don't hold it against her. Even after you've started mating, she may still bite off your head...

Of all the 2,400-plus species of mantises, one is surely among the prettiest - the orchid mantis. As the name suggests, this species of mantis mimics orchid flowers, and while they don't mimic a specific orchid, their bodies are often white with pink markings, earning it the appellation, pink orchid mantis.