Kid’s Stuff

Praying Mantis

The scientific name of the order of praying mantids is Mantodea. On average, mantis live for about a year.

Most praying mantis have wings and can fly.

Most mantis range in length from 1.2 to 15 centimetres. There is a species of mantis in Asia that can reach 25 centimetres long.

When a pair of praying mantis mate, the female often chomps off the male’s head and eats him. Scientists say this source of food gives the female a boost of energy to produce eggs.

Mantis lay eggs in a frothy substance, which turns into a hard case to protect the eggs.

When a mantis hatches, it looks like a miniature version of the adult, without wings (which grow later).

Sometimes a young mantis’ first meal is one or more of its siblings!

There are three main parts of a mantis’ body: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Part of its thorax looks like a neck.

Mantis are close relatives of the cockroach.

info from http://kids.nationalgeographic.com

Puzzle answers

Riddle me this

Die without me, never thank me, walk right through me, never feel me, always watching, never speaking, always lurking, never seen.

What am I?

Do you know Dinosaurs?

1. How many horns did Triceratops have?

2. Was Diplodocus a carnivore or herbivore?

3. True or false? Birds evolved from dinosaurs.

4. Which came first, the Jurassic or Triassic Period?

5. True or false? The name dinosaur means ‘terrible lizard’.

Aussie Trivia

1. What year did the first fleet arrive in Australia?

2. In what year did Australia become a Federation?

3. I n what state are the Jenolan Caves?

4. What is the highest mountain in Australia?

5. In what year was the colony of South Australia established?

6. On what date do we celebrate Australia Day?

7. Which Australian Aboriginal painter became famous for his water colours of central Australia?

8. Who wrote ‘Possum Magic’?

9. What linked Australia to the world in 1872?

10. Which English explorer visited Australia twice, first in 1688, and again in 1699?

Riddle me this air