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Enchantingly Dangerous: The Secret Beauty of an Orchid

We find beauty, danger, and untold stories in the depths of Asia’s tropical rainforests. You would never expect one of these dangers to be the orchid. I love orchids and have many in my home, the thought of them being dangerous seems utterly impossible.

Introducing the Tropical Rainforest 

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Forest floors. Image by hayley via Unsplash

The tropical rainforests of Asia are believed to be over 100 million years old. These forests hold so many stories and yet are endangered. Millions of years old and their stories are being cut short due to deforestation, climate warming, and general human greed. 

The Families Within

Frog. Image by Egor Kamelev via Pexels

These rainforests are home to billions of different flora and fauna species. 1 hectare of about 1.2 billion, contains around 42 000 species of insects. Yes, just insects! We can’t even begin to imagine the total number of various species living within the entire forest.

The Orchids of the Rainforest

Orchids. Image by Skylar Kang via Pexels

One of these species is the Orchid. Coming in many different colors the orchid is a gorgeous flower, one of my favorites, with over 25 000 species. This beauty produces a lovely-smelling oil that drips down into their ‘buckets’ attracting all sorts of insects. Pollination mode activates!

Life Amongst the Green

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchis | World’s Deadliest. Source: Youtube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

The video starts by leading us into the forest. We pan over the trees with an indication of the vast area of greenery. The canopy seems to continue forever, a beautiful sea of green.

The Beauty of the Orchid 

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchis | World’s Deadliest. Source: Youtube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

We are then led down to the floor of the forest. The land of the Orchid, with various colors, sizes, and visiting insects. That butterfly is gorgeous! This flower, seemingly innocent, holds a secret…

Watch the full video here

The Ninja in Disguise

Image by Pavel Kirillov from St.Petersburg, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Praying Mantis that we are used to, those little green guys, are nothing compared to this guy. The Orchid Mantis hides within, disguised as an innocent flower. This speedy killer makes me second-guess having those Orchids in my bedroom!

Next Level Mimicry: Incognito 

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchids | World’s Deadliest. Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

The Orchid Mantis makes our trips to the fridge seem pretty boring. He hides within the flowers awaiting an unsuspecting snack to pounce on. The Mantis waits patiently, perfectly imitating the innocent plant, until an insect comes along with the simple plan of pollination. The Orchid Mantis attacks with sniper stealth.

Are You The Meal I Want?

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchids | World’s Deadliest. Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

It seems humans are not the only species that can be picky eaters. The Orchid Mantis will stay completely still, waiting for the meal that he is craving. He patiently stays in disguise, his head the only part that moves, until the right snack comes along. Why waste energy on something you won’t enjoy?

The Perfect Attack: Spy Eats Spy

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchids | World’s Deadliest. Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

Finally, the perfect snack arrives. Moths have gorgeous patterned wings that help them hide from predators. Not this time! This unsuspecting moth was the perfect snack for the Mantis. He uses his legs, covered in razor-sharp spikes, to pull down their prey. 

Watch the full video here

The Disguise Helps The Original

Screenshot from Deadly Disguised Orchids | World’s Deadliest. Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Nat Geo WILD

This ninja Mantis is highly successful in attracting its pollinator snacks. So much so that some professionals suspect that they may be more victorious in attracting pollinators than the actual Orchid. Maybe they aren’t too bad. 

Even Salt Can Look Like Pepper

Mantis. Image by Quang Nguyen Vinh via Pexels

How can these fascinating insects be killers? Well, nature is amazing. They aren’t killers, just hungry. They have a wildly impressive way of getting their meals. On top of this, they do spare some pollinators. Looking gorgeous, bringing in pollinators, and getting snacks…life doesn’t seem too bad.

Watch the full video here

Which Flower Shall I Be Today?

Chameleon. Image by Egor Kamelev via Pexels

The Orchid Mantis is most commonly seen to be white. However, they can change color to blend into the various types of orchids. Like chameleons, this helps them to adapt to their surroundings during the hunt. 

Mantis Eats Mantis

Female praying mantis. Image via Depositphotos

The female Mantis is larger than the male, growing up to 2.5 inches long. Meanwhile, the males generally grow up to a mere 1 inch. During mating time the female mantis is known to eat the male! That must make an interesting date night!

I Bet You Didn’t Know…

Mantis. Image by Quang Nguyen Vinh via Pexels

Whilst Royalty is said to have blue blood, this is not true. However, it is true that the Orchid Mantis has green blood. With their tiny bodies, you may wonder how they fit in all their organs. Well, they don’t need to worry about fitting in lungs because they have none! No lungs, yet still live up to 12 months. 

The Mantis and The Forest

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Rainforest. Image by Lingchor via Unsplash

The Orchid Mantis is useful to the forest in more than one way. All animals give to the environment just as much as they take from it. They have a 2-way relationship. The Orchid Mantis helps attract pollinators, however, does not eat all of them. Being both predator and prey, the Mantis contributes to the environmental balance. 

The Mantis Beauty Bringing Awareness

Rainforest. Image by Zhang Kaiyv via Pexels

Upon the discovery of this beautiful insect and others, more research and studies were done. With us becoming more aware of the different beauties around us, we look deeper into their survival and habitats. This, theoretically, encourages us to do better. Showing us what it is that we are trying to save. 

Watch the full video here

Protection Against Predators

Leopard gets a fright from camoflauged hippo
Camouflaged hippo. Image via Depositphotos

The magic of camouflage is not only a hunting tactic but also protection. The animal world is a survival of the fittest environment. All animals have a way of protecting themselves. For the Orchid Mantis, this way is their use of camouflage. By melting into the colors of the Orchid they can hide from predators. Their camouflage is useful for them not only to be the predator but also to hide their predators.

I Need You, You Need Me

Butterly on a Stick. Image by GoogleDeepMind via Pexels

Nature needs us just as much as we need it. The same goes for the animals and the plants within the rainforest ecosystem. The Orchid Mantis attracts pollinators, consumes prey, and becomes prey. As brutal as it sounds, this is the way of life. 

Survival of the Stealthiest

camouflaged
Camouflaged squid. Image via Unsplash

There are so many intriguing animals in our beautiful world. Animals are made in a way that they can sneak around, using their survival instincts, to hide from predators and feed off of their surroundings. 

Keep Breathing!

Deforestation
Deforestation. Image via Depiositphotos

Our rainforests provide a home for about 50% of the world’s wildlife, both fauna and flora. Therefore, providing a large amount of the world’s oxygen helps regulate the global climate. Adding to this, they play a huge role in regulating water resources. It would be very hard for us to live without them, impossible almost, and yet we take advantage.