# Do you find praying mantises cute? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051 "2014-01-06T18:43:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/21 "2014-01-06T22:59:36Z")
Praying mantises are cute, but I can no longer think of fuzzy caterpillars without [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgoG5BjFE7w) coming to mind. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/22 "2014-01-06T23:03:38Z")
We’ve had praying mantises near our front porch the last several summers. 🆒 Yeah, they’re cool to look at. I’d even let one crawl on my hand. But they don’t bump the “cute” meter at all. ---
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/23 "2014-01-06T23:10:07Z")
Yes, they are the third most attractive insect, to me. First are butterflies, second are grasshoppers. I wouldn’t want to touch one, however. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/24 "2014-01-07T00:04:58Z")
> [@Themis00](#): > > Yes, they are the third most attractive insect, to me. First are butterflies, second are grasshoppers. > > I wouldn’t want to touch one, however. They can’t hurt you. I had a pet mantis for a summer, and there were a few times I picked it up to move it between enclosures. It even tried chewing on my finger, which felt more strange than anything else. It’s not strong enough to break the skin. Of course, you might hurt them, so not touching is probably the best policy. To go back to the OP: I love the look of mantises and find them fascinating. But cute is not the right word. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/25 "2014-01-07T00:20:40Z")
Fascinating and beneficial insects. I don’t mind them crawling on me. But not “cute” by my definition of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Peaton\_of\_peat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@Peaton\_of\_peat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peaton_of_peat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/26 "2014-01-07T00:34:02Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > You gave us the perfect option, \*No, “interesting” is not the same thing as “cute”. \* > > Much like Walking Sticks, I find the Preying Mantis very interesting and I always enjoy seeing them. But they really aren’t cute. Believe it or not there’s plenty of critters that I think are interesting without being cute. Like, butterflies have [really weird heads](http://gallery.photo.net/photo/7241897-lg.jpg) that leave them beautiful but not cute. Likewise, my favorite insect, the [wheel bug](http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~larsonmorgan/True%20Bugs/Wheel%20Bug%20(Arilus%20cristatus)%201.jpg) is weird enough that it doesn’t set off my cuteness reflex. The mantis is humanlike enough with its swively neck, big eyes, and upright posture that it comes across like a tiny person. Plus, even something as creepy-looking as a horseshoe crab can be [adorably derpy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozYRXOhLNLM) in behavior. And incidentally, it’s “pr **a** ying mantis” with an A. They’re folding their little hands in gratitude for being so awesome. :3 > [@LawMonkey](#): > > Incidentally, that little black dot on their compound eyes (which is part of what makes them so adorbz) is an artifact of reflection and/or refraction from the lenses, right? Not any sort of actual “structure” like a pupil. Yeah, it’s called a “pseudopupil,” and I think it works kinda like if the eye were made of a bunch of tubes that had very reflective sides, but if you see through to the base of the tube it’s pitch black because it absorbs all the light. Katydids have them too, which is kinda weird because grasshoppers have those “many orbs” eyes that butterflies have, while crickets have solid black eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/27 "2014-01-07T00:35:06Z")
There was a traveling museum exhibit of bugs and stuff…and they had an eight foot tall animatronic P.M. Holy crud, that was one scary mutha! It was rough going to walk in front of. If (square-cube law notwithstanding) a real one was that size (or if we were only half an inch tall in front of a regular P.M.) then…snap! We’re chow! That is one damn effective killing machine! ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/28 "2014-01-07T00:59:25Z")
Mantises are the most anthropomorphic insects, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/29 "2014-01-07T02:33:33Z")
They’re adorable!! Way cuter than lady bugs, which aren’t so much cute as they are inoffensive. I think house centipedes have cute faces but I can’t get past the wispy legs. There are very few bugs that I don’t like or don’t find cute in some way. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/30 "2014-01-07T02:38:55Z")
They are striking but not cute to me. Looking at the pics in the OP didn’t elicit a squee reaction in me. I think lighting bugs and ladybugs are cute. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/31 "2014-01-07T08:49:27Z")
The big ones (say, 3" long) are okay, but the teeny-tiny ones-- 1/2" long or smaller-- are _a-DOR-able_!! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/32 "2014-01-07T09:13:19Z")
cute is maybe not the word but very interesting and beautiful, also a rare find where I live. I really consider it a treat when I stumble on to an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/33 "2014-01-07T09:37:48Z")
I can see how you’d find them cute - the big eyes and comically long antenna - but almost all bugs freak me out. If I found one outside, I’d observe it and find it interesting, but inside? Prepare for some shrill screams. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/34 "2014-01-07T14:09:19Z")
Praying mantises are not “cute”. They are interesting/remarkable/striking, but not “cute”. I generally get the feeling when they turn their heads to look at you, that they are sizing you up as a possible meal. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/35 "2014-01-07T16:04:57Z")
Nifty but not cute. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/36 "2014-01-07T16:43:46Z")
In the linked pictures they look kind of cute but if I saw one IRL (which I never have) I’d probably be repulsed. I do find them infinitely less revolting than grasshoppers, which I have seen plenty of. I wonder if I could start some sort of exchange program. And bees, of course, are mondo cute. All fuzzy and whatnot. When I clicked on your link I was all, “awwwww, grumpy bee is grumpy. Squeee!” ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/37 "2014-01-07T17:30:47Z")
Bumblebees, incidentally, are cute even among bees, due to super-fuzziness, fatness, and apparent derpyness of behavior/flight. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/38 "2014-01-07T21:50:10Z")
Too elegant to be cute. Fascinating, impressive - not cute. Now the [Southern Flannel Moth](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Megalopyge_opercularisPCCP20040714-5799B.jpg)? That’s cute. Just don’t pet the [babies](http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/Creatures/MISC/MOTHS/puss.htm) :D. ---
**Author:** ![Peaton\_of\_peat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecae2f/32.png) [@Peaton\_of\_peat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peaton_of_peat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/39 "2014-01-07T23:15:24Z")
Interesting results so far! The poll results have held steady with about 1/3 cute and the remainder not-cute. Unsurprisingly but reassuringly, very few dopers find them repulsive even if they wouldn’t want to pet them. Even though I disagree with most of you guys (I pet bumblebees too), it’s good to know that you’re not unreasonable, and that the minority is as big as the photic sneezing minority. And don’t stop posting the adorable critters even if you’re not a fan of the mantis, like the [Fluttershy moth](http://coelasquid.tumblr.com/post/19043587048/irl-fluttershy) which is [very shy](http://coelasquid.tumblr.com/post/19044517899/thebrigeedarocks-replied-to-your-photo-irl). That’s a rosy maple moth if you’re keeping score at home. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051/40 "2014-01-08T00:02:57Z")
Bumblebees have fuzzy butts, so they’re fun to pet. Especially if you get them when they’re drunk in high spring and they just sort of purr under your fingertips. Praying mantis on the other hand… too angular and stereotypically “alien” about the face to be cute to me. Attractive, interesting, fun to watch, but not cute. I’d also not want to get within touching distance of a mantis, but I get weird about things crawling on me/touching me no matter how cute they are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-praying-mantises-cute/678051.md?page=3)