A Praying Mantis caught in the act of ambushing a spider. This praying mantis is only 3 inches(7.5cm) long and not yet full grown. Other than birds and lizards, the mantis does not have much in the way of enemies..If you have a spider problem, they are a great manager of them.. A little more about them A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is the common colloquial name for an insect of the order Mantodea. Often mistakenly spelled preying mantis (a tempting mistake, as they are notoriously predatory) they are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance. The word mantis derives from the Greek word Mantes for prophet or fortune teller