Female praying mantises are notorious for their predatory skills; they’re bigger and stronger than males, and often devour their counterparts during sex.

But, scientists have discovered that not even decapitation is enough to stand in the way of a male mantis looking to mate.

A jaw-dropping new video shows how males can continue the act even after their head has been chewed off, turning into a ‘zombie mating machine’ that both fertilizes the eggs, and provides the mother with necessary fuel.

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Scientists have discovered that not even decapitation is enough to stand in the way of a male mantis looking to mate. In the shocking footage, a decapitated male can even be seen walking around and mounting the female, before successfully depositing his sperm packet

THE PRAYING MANTIS' INCREDIBLE SPEED In a recent study, researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Bristol recorded 58 young mantises jumping towards a thin black rod. Slow-mo footage of the experiments revealed the extraordinary skill and precision of these predators. The scientists found that the insect’s jump, lasts less than a tenth of a second from take-off to landing- faster than the blink of a human eye. During the jumps, the insects rotated their legs and abdomen simultaneously yet in varying directions – shifting clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations between these body parts in mid-air – to control the angular momentum, or 'spin'. This allowed them to shift their body in the air to align precisely with the target on which they chose to land. Advertisement

The Deep Look video created by KQED follows the bizarre mating behaviour of bordered mantises in California’s Eastern Sierra.

And, as noted by behavioural ecologist and zoologist Mike Maxwell, it goes far beyond the typical sexual cannibalism seen among praying mantises.

In the video, the massive female mantises can be seen ambushing smaller males who approach them to mate.

The males have little chance at survival; they’re ‘simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness,’ the video explains.

Stunning – and somewhat unsettling – close-up footage shows how the females gobble down their catch, sometimes chewing the head straight off the body and leaving the rest intact.

And, after this happens, the headless male can then go on mating.

In the shocking footage, a decapitated male can even be seen walking around and mounting the female, before successfully depositing his sperm packet.

This is possible because of nerves in the mantis’s abdomen, which continue to control the movement of the body so it can ‘get the job done,’ the video explains.

Essentially, the decapitated male mantis becomes a ‘zombie mating machine.’

While it may seem counterintuitive to kill one of their own in the mating process, experts say this behaviour serves a purpose.

And, some suspect that those who get eaten but still manage to successfully mate may end up fathering more eggs.

The Deep Look video follows the bizarre mating behaviour of bordered mantises in California’s Eastern Sierra. And, as discovered by behavioural ecologist and zoologist Mike Maxwell, it goes far beyond the typical sexual cannibalism seen among praying mantises. Stock image

‘It takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs – about a hundred of them, developing inside her,’ the video explains.

‘She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster, called an ootheca. So, that male is fuelling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.

‘When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one. And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway.

‘They can’t survive the cold autumn night. So males might as well take a shot.’