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When is it worth sacrificing your life for the next generation?

The tempestuous sex lives of praying mantises have long been fodder for cartoons and trivia nights, but what really happens when these wonderfully weird insects procreate? Yes, the female sometimes eats the male during or after sex, but that’s not where the intrigue ends. Captured in astonishing (and occasionally harrowing) detail, this video from the science and nature documentary series Deep Look probes the latest in mantis-mating research, detailing why their seemingly strange ritual is actually a remarkable example of evolutionary efficiency. Read more about the video at KQED Science.

Video by KQED Science and PBS Digital Studios

Producer and Writer: Josh Cassidy

Narrator and Writer: Lauren Sommer

1 December 2017
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