Taxonomy & Related Groups comparison

Praying Mantis vs Mantis Shrimp: Key Differences Explained

The short answer

They share a name and a folded pair of striking forelimbs, and little else. A praying mantis is a land insect in the order Mantodea, breathing through spiracles and hunting from vegetation. A mantis shrimp is a marine crustacean in the order Stomatopoda, gill-breathing and burrow-dwelling, and despite the name it is not a shrimp, sitting outside the decapods entirely. Their eyes differ as sharply: mantis eyes are conventional compound eyes, stomatopod eyes are stalked and famously complex.

The main difference

The praying mantis is a terrestrial insect in Mantodea; the mantis shrimp is a marine stomatopod crustacean that is not a shrimp, and the shared name reflects only the folded raptorial forelimbs.

Search results mix the two constantly because both carry mantis in the name for the same reason, a pair of folded raptorial forelimbs, and readers meeting a stomatopod for the first time often assume it is an aquatic insect or a kind of shrimp when it is neither.

At a glance

Comparison of Praying Mantis and Mantis Shrimp across 7 dimensions, with an interpretation of each difference.
What differs	Praying Mantis	Mantis Shrimp	What it means
Group	Class Insecta, order Mantodea, with roughly 2,400 described species	Class Malacostraca, order Stomatopoda, with roughly 450 to 500 described species	Both are arthropods, but their last common ancestor lies far back in arthropod evolution.
Environment	Terrestrial, on vegetation in warm temperate and tropical regions	Marine, in burrows and reef crevices, mostly in shallow tropical and subtropical seas	Land versus sea is the fastest way to resolve which animal an article is describing.
Breathing	Tracheal tubes opening at spiracles along the body	Gills carried on the abdominal pleopods	Respiratory anatomy places them in completely different arthropod lineages.
Raptorial forelimbs	Spined foreleg tibia snapping shut against the femur to hold prey	A second thoracic appendage held folded, deployed as a spear or a club depending on species	The shared name comes from this convergent posture, not from shared ancestry.
Strike mechanism	Direct muscular extension, one of the faster insect grabs but muscle-powered	A saddle-shaped spring and latch that releases stored elastic energy underwater	The stomatopod strike is a documented example of elastic power amplification, capable of forming cavitation bubbles.Reported strike speeds come from a small number of laboratory recordings and differ between smashers and spearers.
Eyes	Large forward-facing compound eyes with a fovea, supporting depth perception	Stalked eyes with a mid-band, up to twelve to sixteen photoreceptor classes and polarisation sensitivity	Both are visual hunters, but stomatopod eyes process colour and polarised light in an unusual way.Published experiments suggest stomatopods may discriminate colour more coarsely than the receptor count implies.
Development	Hemimetabolous nymphs hatching from a foam egg case, the ootheca	Planktonic larval stages that moult repeatedly before settling to the seabed	Life histories share nothing beyond the general arthropod need to moult.

Group: Praying MantisClass Insecta, order Mantodea, with roughly 2,400 described species
Mantis ShrimpClass Malacostraca, order Stomatopoda, with roughly 450 to 500 described species
Both are arthropods, but their last common ancestor lies far back in arthropod evolution.
Environment: Praying MantisTerrestrial, on vegetation in warm temperate and tropical regions
Mantis ShrimpMarine, in burrows and reef crevices, mostly in shallow tropical and subtropical seas
Land versus sea is the fastest way to resolve which animal an article is describing.
Breathing: Praying MantisTracheal tubes opening at spiracles along the body
Mantis ShrimpGills carried on the abdominal pleopods
Respiratory anatomy places them in completely different arthropod lineages.
Raptorial forelimbs: Praying MantisSpined foreleg tibia snapping shut against the femur to hold prey
Mantis ShrimpA second thoracic appendage held folded, deployed as a spear or a club depending on species
The shared name comes from this convergent posture, not from shared ancestry.
Strike mechanism: Praying MantisDirect muscular extension, one of the faster insect grabs but muscle-powered
Mantis ShrimpA saddle-shaped spring and latch that releases stored elastic energy underwater
The stomatopod strike is a documented example of elastic power amplification, capable of forming cavitation bubbles.Reported strike speeds come from a small number of laboratory recordings and differ between smashers and spearers.
Eyes: Praying MantisLarge forward-facing compound eyes with a fovea, supporting depth perception
Mantis ShrimpStalked eyes with a mid-band, up to twelve to sixteen photoreceptor classes and polarisation sensitivity
Both are visual hunters, but stomatopod eyes process colour and polarised light in an unusual way.Published experiments suggest stomatopods may discriminate colour more coarsely than the receptor count implies.
Development: Praying MantisHemimetabolous nymphs hatching from a foam egg case, the ootheca
Mantis ShrimpPlanktonic larval stages that moult repeatedly before settling to the seabed
Life histories share nothing beyond the general arthropod need to moult.

How they are related

The praying mantis belongs to Mantodea, an insect order of roughly 2,400 described species most closely related to cockroaches and termites within Dictyoptera. The mantis shrimp belongs to Stomatopoda, an order of some 450 to 500 marine crustaceans in the class Malacostraca, sitting outside Decapoda and therefore outside the true shrimp entirely. Both are arthropods, but the shared name is convergence in limb posture rather than any indication of relatedness.

A note on naming: Praying mantis covers roughly 2,400 species in Mantodea and mantis shrimp covers roughly 450 to 500 species in Stomatopoda, so both names describe orders rather than single species, and mantis shrimp is a misleading name because stomatopods are not shrimp.

Telling them apart

There is no realistic chance of confusing the animals themselves, only the names. A praying mantis has six legs, two pairs of wings in most adult forms, a mobile triangular head and a slender elongated thorax. A mantis shrimp has a segmented crustacean body with a short carapace, numerous appendages, a broad tail fan and stalked eyes that swivel independently, and many reef species are strikingly patterned in green, red and blue.

If the animal is on a plant, has six legs and a triangular head that turns to look at you, it is a praying mantis. If it is underwater, has a segmented tail fan, many limbs and eyes on moving stalks, it is a mantis shrimp. The word mantis in both names refers only to the folded forelimbs held in front of the body, which people compared to hands in prayer.

Habitat and distribution

Mantises live on vegetation in warm temperate and tropical regions worldwide, hunting from stems, leaves, flowers and bark, with several species matching the plant they sit on. Mantis shrimp live in the sea, mostly in shallow tropical and subtropical waters, either excavating burrows in sediment or occupying crevices in reef rubble and coral. Neither animal is ever found in the other's habitat, so environment alone resolves any ambiguity in a description.

Diet and ecological role

Both are predators of live animals. A mantis takes flies, moths, crickets, bees and other insects, and larger species have been recorded taking small vertebrates such as lizards and hummingbirds on rare occasions. Stomatopods split into two feeding modes: spearers use barbed appendages to catch soft-bodied prey such as fish and shrimp, while smashers use a club to break open hard-shelled prey including snails and crabs.

Behaviour

Mantises are ambush hunters that hold still for long periods, sway in a manner resembling wind-moved vegetation, and track prey by turning the head. Stomatopods are burrow-centred, often maintaining and defending a home cavity, and several species are notable among invertebrates for long-term pair bonding and for signalling with fluorescent body markings. Both groups are solitary and territorial rather than social, and both rely heavily on vision.

Senses and adaptations

Mantises are the only insects known to have well-documented stereoscopic depth perception, demonstrated in experiments using tiny prisms and filters, and many species carry a single ultrasound-sensitive ear on the underside of the thorax used to detect bat calls in flight. Stomatopod vision runs the other way in complexity, with a mid-band of specialised receptor rows, sensitivity to ultraviolet and to circularly polarised light, and independent eye movement.

More on this topic: Animal senses and adaptations.

Lifespan and life stages

Most mantises complete a single annual cycle in temperate regions, overwintering as an egg case and living as adults for a few months, with tropical species sometimes persisting longer. Stomatopods are generally longer-lived, with published estimates for several species running to a few years and larger species reported living longer still. Captive figures for both groups reflect controlled conditions and should not be applied to wild populations.

People and these animals

Mantises are widely welcomed in gardens and sold as biological control agents, although as generalist predators they take beneficial insects as well as pests, and released non-native species raise ecological questions. Mantis shrimp appear in reef fisheries in parts of Asia and are eaten in several cuisines, and their strike and visual system are heavily studied, informing research into impact-resistant materials and polarisation-based imaging.

Keeping them: what to understand first

Mantises are kept as captive invertebrates by hobbyists and mantis shrimp are occasionally kept in marine aquaria. Both have real requirements: mantises need appropriate humidity, temperature and live food, and stomatopods need stable marine systems and secure tank furniture. Suitability depends on household circumstances, local law on keeping and importing invertebrates, welfare capacity and a long-term commitment, and health questions belong with a qualified veterinarian or aquatic specialist.

What they have in common

Both are arthropods with jointed exoskeletons that must be moulted to grow.
Both are visual ambush predators that take live animal prey.
Both hold a pair of raptorial forelimbs folded in front of the body when at rest.
Both are solitary and territorial rather than social, and both are studied for their visual systems.

Key differences

The praying mantis is a terrestrial insect; the mantis shrimp is a marine crustacean.
Mantises breathe through tracheae and spiracles, stomatopods through gills on the pleopods.
The mantis strike is muscle-powered while the stomatopod strike uses a spring-and-latch mechanism.
Mantis eyes are conventional compound eyes; stomatopod eyes are stalked with a specialised mid-band.
Mantises hatch as nymphs from an ootheca, whereas stomatopods pass through planktonic larval stages.

Where people go wrong

Assuming the mantis shrimp is an aquatic insect because both names contain mantis.
Filing mantis shrimp with true shrimp when stomatopods sit outside the decapods.
Taking the stomatopod receptor count as proof of superior colour vision when experiments suggest otherwise.
Expecting a praying mantis to strike using stored elastic energy the way a stomatopod does.

Frequently asked questions

Is a mantis shrimp related to a praying mantis?

No. A praying mantis is an insect in the order Mantodea and a mantis shrimp is a marine crustacean in the order Stomatopoda, and their shared ancestry is no closer than that between any insect and any crustacean. The name was applied because both hold a pair of raptorial appendages folded in front of the body, a convergent solution to grabbing prey rather than a family resemblance.

Why is a mantis shrimp not actually a shrimp?

True shrimp are decapods, and stomatopods sit outside Decapoda in a separate malacostracan lineage. The differences are structural: stomatopods carry gills on the abdominal pleopods, have a short carapace that leaves several thoracic segments exposed, and possess raptorial second thoracic appendages that no shrimp has. The name reflects a loose superficial resemblance in the way old common names often do.

How does the stomatopod strike differ from a mantis grab?

A praying mantis extends its foreleg by direct muscular action, which is fast for an insect but muscle-limited. A stomatopod uses a spring-and-latch arrangement in the appendage, loading elastic energy in a saddle-shaped structure and releasing it in a burst, which underwater can be rapid enough to form transient cavitation bubbles. It is a much-studied example of elastic power amplification in animals.

Do mantis shrimp really see more colours than we do?

They have far more photoreceptor classes, with published counts of twelve to sixteen in the mid-band of the eye, plus sensitivity to ultraviolet and to polarised light. However, behavioural experiments suggest they may discriminate between wavelengths more coarsely than humans rather than more finely, with the eye apparently recognising colours directly instead of comparing receptor outputs. Richer hardware does not automatically mean finer discrimination.

Can a praying mantis hear, and what does it listen for?

Many mantises carry a single ear on the underside of the thorax, tuned to ultrasonic frequencies. Its documented role is detecting the echolocation calls of hunting bats during flight, which can trigger an abrupt evasive dive. This is unusual hearing anatomy, since it is one ear rather than a pair, giving detection without much directional information, and it is absent in flightless species and in many females.

Read the full profiles

Sources and methodology

How this comparison is built: FaunaHub comparisons are assembled from the sourced animal profiles behind them rather than written as standalone claims. Figures such as size, mass, and lifespan are typical ranges that vary by subspecies, population, region, sex, age, and — where relevant — whether an animal lives in the wild or under human care, so they are presented as ranges rather than fixed values. Where a common name covers a group rather than a single species, the page says so instead of implying a species-to-species match. Conservation status changes over time and should be confirmed against the current IUCN Red List. Dimensions that could not be supported from the underlying profiles are omitted rather than filled in.

What this page does not do: it does not rank the two animals, predict the outcome of a confrontation, or present either one as stronger, smarter, or better. It is not veterinary, medical, first-aid, handling, capture, hunting, or pest-control guidance. For an animal in your care, or any situation involving injury, contact a qualified veterinarian, your local wildlife authority, or emergency services.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative references used for general educational context. External links open in a new tab. These sources do not endorse FaunaHub.

UniversityAnimal Diversity Web — Mantodea (mantises) — University of Michigan order-level account
ReferenceEncyclopaedia Britannica — Animals reference — Editor-reviewed encyclopedia overview entries
ReferenceWoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Authoritative register of marine species names
ReferenceBritannica — Mantis shrimp — Editor-reviewed encyclopedia entry
Wildlife referenceIUCN Red List of Threatened Species — Authoritative source for current conservation status
UniversityAnimal Diversity Web — University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Peer-edited reference accounts for animal species
ReferenceSmithsonian Ocean — National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution educational ocean-science resource

Last updated: 2026-08-04