High-speed photograph of a male praying mantis in flight. The mantids and the dragonflies were the first flying insects to appear on Earth. Their muscles are much less efficient than those of other insects; their wings beat only four times per second, whereas the mosquito beats its wings around 1000 times per second. The mantis is a daytime hunter, with a voracious & indiscriminate appetite for insects, lizards, frogs and even small birds.