Praying mantises and jumping spiders are both renowned and accomplished hunters, and although they hunt in different manners, they utilize some of the same uncanny abilities.
Praying mantises rely on their camouflage to ambush and capture prey while jumping spiders prefer to sneak up on their prey and speedily pounce upon them like eight-legged leopards. Both mantises and jumping spiders utilize keen forms of eyesight and therefore prefer to hunt during the daytime, making them diurnal predators.
So what happens when these two tiny predators meet? Let’s find out!
In a video clip from the BBC’s nature series Life Story, a young orchid mantis goes about its business as usual. Suddenly, a hungry jumping spider appears and chases the mantis through the leafy undergrowth.
Eventually, the spider corners the mantis, and the mantis faces off against the ravenous arachnid. Juxtaposed with the narration of famed naturalist David Attenborough, this epic natural event is a perfect blend of art, science, education, and entertainment.
Who do you think will win, the orchid mantis or the jumping spider? The jumping spider is bigger and more powerful, but the orchid mantis knows respective insect-style kung fu. They’re both relatively evenly matched, as you will see that in the video below.
Watch the entire clip — there’s something unexpected at the end.
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