Praying Mantis Mating

praying mantis mating
This morning I was in the chicken paddocks and saw something unusual. When I first spotted these two insects it was from a different angle and looked very odd. I thought a large grasshopper was being eaten by a different bug. I moved to a different angle and saw two praying mantis mating. Wow! I have never seen that before. The four inch long critters were hanging upside down, just as pictured above. I watched them for a very long time because I wanted to see if the female would kill the male after mating. I didn't see that happen, but a large bug walked on the plant stem in front of the female and she quickly grabbed it and ate the entire thing. I went back about a half hour later and she was still there but the male was no where to be seen.