How Long Can Praying Mantis Live Without Head? (5 Clear Facts)

One of the most fascinating things about praying mantises is their ability to continue living even after having their heads chopped off. But just how long can a mantis live without the head? Read on, to find out.

How long can praying mantis live without head? A praying mantis may live for as long as 1 to 6 hours without its head. Normally, male mantises have their heads chopped off by females while mating. But they still go on to complete mating, even without their heads: which can take 1 to 6 hours.

Thus you may actually find a headless praying mantis continuing to live (and engage in strenuous activities like mating) for hours.

But there are those who may still find the whole idea (of a mantis living without its head) unbelievable.  

Therefore before getting deeper into answering the question on how long can a headless praying mantis live, we first need to further interrogate the phenomenon of mantises living without their heads.

Let us find out whether it is reality or fiction.

Only after doing that would we meaningfully revert to discussing how long can praying mantis survive without head.

So we first ask ourselves whether the stories about praying mantises living without heads are real. Or if they are old wives tales.

Can Praying Mantis Live Without Head?

Yes, it is possible for a praying mantis to live without a head.

There have been reports, from credible sources, of praying mantises continuing to live without heads. So, with reliance on those reports, we can believe that mantises do at times continue to live without their heads.

There have even been scientific journal articles on the phenomenon in which a headless praying mantis continues to mate. This only goes to show that a mantis continuing to live without its head is a real possibility.

Normally, it is male mantises that have their head chopped off by females while mating. That leads to questions like why do female praying mantis bite heads off or generally why do praying mantis rips head off?

Do Female Praying Mantis Bite The Head Off Its Mate?

Now with regard to why does a female praying mantis bite the head off its mate, this may be in order to get the nourishment necessary for generation of eggs after mating.

However, the basic fact remains that the males whose heads are chopped off continue to live. They usually actually get to carry on with the mating process, to the very end.

Thus if you thought that the most amazing thing is how far can a praying mantis turn its head, you are wrong. There are other more amazing things: like the mantis continuing to do stuff, even after its head is chopped off!

And if you do encounter a headless praying mantis meme anywhere, just understand that it is not entirely imaginary. It is based on a real-life phenomenon: in which we find surviving headless mantises.

How Long Can Praying Mantis Live Without Head?

It may be possible for a praying mantis to live for between 1 and 6 hours without its head. Let’s put that into context. The mantises whose heads are chopped off tend to be the males, in the course of mating.

Usually, such males have their heads ripped off by the females somewhere near the outset of the mating process. But the now headless males usually go on to complete the mating process – which usually takes 1 to 6 hours.

This is why we say that 1 to 6 hours is how long a mantis can live without its head.

But such mantises then seem to nonetheless eventually die after the mating process.

Thus in figuring out how long would a male praying mantis live if he didn’t get his head eaten off during mating, we just have to rely on the expectable lifespan.

However, the male whose head gets bitten off usually goes on to at least complete the mating process. And that can take 1 to 6 hours.

How Does A Praying Mantis Manage To Live Without Its Head?

So far, we have learnt that it is possible for a mantis to continue living (and doing stuff) even after it loses its head.

This leads to questions like, exactly how does the praying mantis continue to live and actively move and fight even after its head is removed? And the answer is that the mantis seems to rely on the nerves in its abdomen.

So after the removal of its head, the mantis survives (and keeps doing stuff) through the nerves in its abdomen.

Final Verdict – How Long Can Praying Mantis Live Without Head

A praying mantis may be able to live for as many as 1 to 6 hours without its head.

The mantises that get their heads removed are typically males: whose heads are ripped off by the females during mating. Yet such mantises continue with the mating process, right up to its conclusion.

Now the mating process takes 1 to 6 hours to conclude in mantises. It follows that 1 to 6 hours is also how long a mantis may continue to live, even after its head is removed.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet mantis a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️