Popa spurca
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Popa spurca, also known as the African twig mantis, is a species of mantis native to Africa. It takes its common name from its resemblance to twig from a woody plant and grows up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) long if female or 7 cm (2.8 in) long if male. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Twig Mantis sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 69th most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Twig Mantis in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in May to October, the lowest months. Those are among Pretoria's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Twig Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate African Twig Mantis sightings, Pretoria ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Harare (Zimbabwe, about 10%) and Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the African Twig Mantis that you can see in Pretoria (order Mantodea, Mantises) are South African Mantis (about 10%), Common Ghost Mantis (about 10%) and Wide-Armed Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Twig Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (19 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
