PRAYING MANTIS
Praying mantis is one of the most fascinating inverts ever. They're awesome!! There are many things that people don't know about mantis and they can be very misunderstood. A mantis' life stages are measured in instars. Instar 1 being them coming out the ooethca right up to instar 8 when they're fully grown adults and they've grew their wings. (This is only for certain species as some species can actually have more or less moults). At each instar the mantis will shed their skin to allow them to become bigger. They tend to hang upside down when they moult. When they're babies they can live in a well ventilated 32 oz cup. They will feed on fruit flies and some will need a gentle misting on the side each day so they can drink from the droplets and also this will help you to keep their humidity up but there are some species that will only need misting every once in a while and this will depend on hat species of mantis you have. However, when they're older and they've grew bigger small vivariums/tubs can be brought. To make sure you have the right sized enclosure then all you have to do is make sure that it's 3 times bigger than your mantis.
GIANT ASIAN MANTIS
Giant Asian mantis, as you might be able to guess, originate from Asia. They are usually green but shades of yellow, brown and beige are also seen amongst them. This is a great mantis for a beginner as they're hardy little guys and are forgiving of small mistakes (plus they are easily handled). This is one of the largest mantis species that is kept successfully in captivity. They are called giants because of their size. A female grows to around 8-9cm and a male will grow to 7-8 cm.
POPAÂ SPURCA
These can also be called African twig mantis. They get their name from their close resemblance to a stick. This species is great at mimicry and are a great species to raise. The females will grow  up to 8cm but if it's a male then it will only grow to around 7cm. These too are easily handled but are a bit more skittish than a giant Asian mantis.
BANDED FLOWER MANTIS
When the mantis first hatches out of its ooethca it will have red and black exoskeleton to help with their mimicry of a species of ant.Then at the start of their second instar they will be green and white and when they're adults they will look similar too Creobroter species with their size and appearance. The adult females can grow up to 5cm in length whereas the males only grow up to 3 cm in length. Both of the sexes have green and white spots and then bright orange hind wings. Also, they have a large white transverse stripe on their fore wings.
GHOST MANTIS
This species colour is usually dark brown but can be sand, light brown or even green. They originate from Madagascar and continental Africa. Unlike other mantises there isn't much difference between males and females as they both grow to around 5cm long. The males tend to be thinner with wings that can reach past their abdomen but the females are bigger and heavier than the males.
WHERE SHOULD YOU GET YOUR MANTISES FROM?
Unseen Universe
Unseen universe is owned by Mitch who is a reputable seller amongst many people. On his site he offers a range of different species and many mantis related products such as vivariums, pop up enclosures and 32oz cups.
