Gonatista grisea
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Gonatista grisea, common name grizzled mantis, Florida bark mantis or lichen mimic mantis, is a species of praying mantis native to the southern United States, primarily Florida. They commonly perch on trees facing down to wait for prey, and will eat any insect they can overpower. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Grizzled Mantis sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and June–July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grizzled Mantis in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and August–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grizzled Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Grizzled Mantis sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grizzled Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (5 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.
