Popa spurca
In 3 days ~20% 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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 107th most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Twig Mantis in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, September and November, the lowest months. That is one of iSimangaliso Wetland Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 130 mm in February.
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.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate African Twig Mantis sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 20%) and West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the African Twig Mantis that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Common Spiny Flower Mantis (about 10%), Flag 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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park (16 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.
