Iris oratoria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Iris oratoria, known by the common name Mediterranean mantis (or less frequently iris mantis), due to humans first studying it in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, is a species of praying mantis. Its range is expanding in the Middle East, Western Asia and the United States.
Albania, Bulgaria, Brač Island, Korčula Island, France (Including Corsica), Greece (Including Ionian Islands, Crete, Cyclades Islands), Italy (Including Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Portugal, Spain (Including Balearic Islands), Yugoslavia (Including Serbia, Kosovo, Voivodina, Montenegro), North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, North Chad), Cyprus, West, Central and South Asia (Asian Turkey, India, Israel, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Turkestan), Non-native to the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas.).
I. oratoria is very pale when young but matures to grass green, and grows to about 6.5 cm (2.6 in) long. The species may be distinguished from Mantis religiosa and other mantids with which it shares a range and general size and shape by the red-orange spot on the ventral side of the fourth (second to last) abdominal... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Death Valley National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Mantis sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 108 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Mantis in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March and May–August, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mediterranean Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mediterranean Mantis sightings, Death Valley National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mediterranean Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Death Valley National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
