Praying mantis have deadly encounters when engaged in a brutal fight for successful copulation, particularly when the female partner rejects it.
Do Male Praying Mantis Die After Mating? Male praying mantis can die after mating because female mantis is aggressive and decapitate partners when they are unfit for copulation, incorrectly identified, and try to get a chance for another mating. Moreover, they are used as a post-mating meal and improve egg production.
It is considered a mating ritual in praying mantises as these insects are involved in cannibalism and kill their partners for different reasons.
Why do male praying mantis die after mating?
Male praying mantis has a significant risk of death when they come closer to their mate for mating, as they can get severe strikes from partners during or after copulation.
Used as a post-mating meal
One of the primary reasons for the death of males after mating is food scarcity because females have to survive and take care of the eggs to ensure the continuity of the population.
Male praying mantis can become a good source of essential amino acids and ensures the survival of the female partner and the newly produced eggs.
Most probably, she leaves her partner without eating if they have enough food to provide essential nutrients to body cells for the production of required energy.
These females can become sluggish or weak when they do not get food for around 2 to 4 days, so they begin to attack their mates when they try to get closer for mating.
Improved egg fertilization
These insects carry out internal fertilization and produce fertilized eggs when their male mates transfer sperm into their bodies during mating.
It lasts for a few minutes to several hours, depending on the behavior of the female partner, as it can take more time when she is not interested in giving him a chance.
The males leave them alone, and eggs remain unfertilized due to the smaller number of sperm. These decapitate partners by striking bodies when male parts remain attached to their bodies.
It results in blockage of their abdominal opening and transfer of sperms even when the mate is not there. It leads to the fertilization of all eggs in their bodies from the sperm of a single male.
Lack of fitness for mating
Large and healthy partners are usually desirable for mating by the female praying mantis, as they are considered eligible for a paternity tag for the new generation.
The smaller ones rarely get a chance to mate. Their partners make every possible effort to remove them because they are supposed to be unfit for being the father of their nymphs.
She tries to use raptorial legs to get out of its hold and make efforts to capture triangular heads.
It is not challenging for her to grab their head because their flexible necks rotate at 360 degrees, and they can see in all directions.
Unfit males usually lose a fight and become a food source for their partners because these insects are cannibalistic organisms and kill their partners after copulation.
Involvement in undesired mating
Female praying mantis can attack their partners when they are involved in a forceful or violent mating process without confirming their partner’s desire.
Accordingly, they have to deal with an aggressive response from females and get severe strikes and punches from the spiked legs of the partner.
It can lead to their death after a fight of a few minutes because they are smaller in size and cannot fight for long and die when their wings do not support flight for an escape.
Incorrect identification by females
Female praying mantis can raid their male partners during sexual encounters or particularly after copulation because they do not allow random insects to get involved in mating with them.
She does not accept any partner from her surrounding until she finds them perfect for claiming paternity of the next generation. She usually rejects the mate when he is incapable of copulation.
Furthermore, they risk being decapitated and chewed when she does not identify them correctly and considers them dangerous for her.
Getting an opportunity to mate
They usually fight with female praying mantis when they desire a second chance for mating after first copulation.
This sexual cannibalism leads to an almost 15 to 25% mortality rate in male praying mantis because they get devoured by their partners when trying to seek another opportunity to mate.
In addition, it usually happens because different males can engage in copulation with one female insect. Therefore, she avoids other insects to mate with when the female recently copulated with one of them.
So, they have to die when their partner is not ready for another sexual encounter and strike their heads many times until they die.
How does a female praying mantis kill a male praying mantis?
Female praying mantis can kill their mate after a sexual encounter when the male comes closer or mount on her to claim paternity.
Both of them engage in a violent battle when their goals are completely different as females want to get rid of the weak males, while their partners want to mate and transfer sperm.
Female praying mantis uses larger spiked forelegs to remove and use them for post-mating meals because their partners cannot overcome her attacks due to their smaller bodies.
Moreover, she has to bite its head and make several attempts vigorously, resulting in the decapitation and death of their partner. She starts with the removal of the head and devours the body parts.
Accordingly, she breaks the body into different parts and makes small bites by chewing that their simpler digestive system can easily swallow and digest.
How does a male praying mantis avoid death while mating?
Male praying mantis try to defend themselves against aggressive strikes of female partners by using their dagger-like claws, which are used to grasp her body.
These claws can inflict a wound on her body while fighting for defense and lead to her death sometimes, but it rarely happens because males have to die in sexual cannibalism.
Male mates can avoid deadly encounters with partners by taking an opportunity of raids before her, as they can successfully mate by mounting unexpectedly on her body.
Moreover, these unexpected attacks provide no chance of defense to her as they can quickly grab her head and legs when she has no idea of the attack.
In addition, these insects should ensure strategic mating for their survival, as there are chances to have successful copulation when they attack from the opposite side.
Furthermore, they usually fly away quickly after mating to survive a sexual encounter; otherwise, they have to engage in violent fights, possibly leading to their death.
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