Miomantis caffra
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Miomantis caffra (common name: springbok mantis) is a species of praying mantis native to Southern Africa. It was first detected in New Zealand in 1978, and was found more recently in Portugal and Los Angeles, USA. Females are facultatively parthenogenetic and unmated females can produce viable offspring.
The ootheca (egg case) of M. caffra is 12–30 mm long with rounded sides, soft creamy-brown, fawn or beige with a terminal handle-like extension. Hatching is not synchronised, and nymphs may emerge over a period of weeks or even over two seasons. Refrigeration of ootheca in the exotic pet trade can delay their hatching.
The oothecae are extremely hardy, and can survive winter to hatch even in the far south and alpine regions of New Zealand. The nymphs are green or brown, body often longitudinally striped, limbs mottled, tip of abdomen curved upwards. Significant colour variation exists in nymphs and sub-adults, with bodies varying from pale straw-colour, bright green, and reddish brown, and legs varying from pale to almost black. Nymphs of M. caffra are cannibalistic, and will attack and eat one-another even in the presence of alternative... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Perth | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a South African Mantis sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 298 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.
April and May
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a South African Mantis in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, July–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South African Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate South African Mantis sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 20%) and Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the South African Mantis that you can see in Garden Route National Park (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Polyspilota caffra (about 10%) and Giant Conehead Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South African Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Garden Route National Park (47 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.
