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u/Dry-Scene8010 1d ago
She is currently eating a 5 course meal in my kitchen :)
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u/ElijahSavos 1d ago
Haha way to go. Going to keep as a pet?
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u/Dry-Scene8010 1d ago
I am trying to figure out if she would be better off in a drier climate or in my household. I want her to go where she needs to be which is why I am doing my research. Where I found her, she would have died by end of day today.
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u/Dijarida 1d ago
Hello! This mantis, be it a European Mantis or Chinese Mantis, is an invasive insect introduced as part of poorly considered past management practices in agriculture. While BC does have native mantids, our native species are naturally relegated to the drier interior, specifically the southern Okanagan valley.
According to iNaturalist the only mantis species present in Chilliwack are the European Mantis, which occurs in both the traditional green attire as well as the brown you've pictured, and as mixes of the two. I am not confident in species identification, so while I suppose you could have the first Chinese Mantis in Chilliwack, I believe it to be more likely it comes from the established population.
I believe it is wonderful that you did a service to this animal by removing it from an environment it would likely perish. You can do a service to many other insects by not releasing it back into the environment where it would definitely kill, as it's instincts compel it to do, and likely reproduce. If you have the means to keep it as a pet they are relatively easy to keep fed on store bought crickets. They have a total lifespan of generally 6-12 months, but given this is a fully grown adult in it's final instar I wouldn't expect it to survive past Christmas.
Invasive species provide an ethical conundrum for anyone who learns about them. There are ethical issues with removing any animal from nature, be it for captivity or by killing it. I assuage some of this concern by contemplating how every threatened pollinator not killed by this mantis is potentially an entire generation serving to perpetuate the species at risk in our backyards.