praying mantis

(Newser) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg: booze-swilling Supreme Court justice, part-time actress , and … new namesake of a praying mantis. Scientists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were examining 30 praying mantis specimens when they discovered that species—typically classified using a male specimen—could be differentiated simply by looking at female...

(Newser) - A mean-looking cockroach that lived alongside the dinosaurs had a long neck, swiveling head, and elongated legs that enabled it to surprise prey, New Scientist reports via Gizmodo . Found embedded in amber in Myanmar, the 100-million-year-old insect resembles a cross between a roach, a crane fly, and a praying mantis:...

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered a new species of praying mantis in a Rwandan forest with a unique trait: The females have no wings and are "vicious hunters" who scour the forest undergrowth for prey, reports LiveScience . In fact, they're so good at it that the new species name translates...