Empusa pennata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Empusa pennata, or the conehead mantis, is a species of praying mantis in genus Empusa native to the Mediterranean Region. It can be found in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy and on the mediterranean coasts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and Egypt. Because of its cryptic nature, or also possibly because of its fragmented, low-density populations, it is rarely encountered in the wild.
Empusa pennata generally has a large, thin body with a low mass, as well as a large pair of wings used for flight. They are mostly found in perennial herbs and scrubs. There are three ways for these insects to find mates: chemical, acoustic, and visual signals. Some predatory insects like mantises rely on cryptic colouration; they use this camouflage to protect themselves from predators and capture prey.
This species of mantis, although similar in size to the common European mantis (Mantis religiosa), is easily distinguished by the protrusion from its crown. Both males and females possess this tall extension from birth, giving them a very 'alien' appearance.
They live in dry, warm environments and use their cryptic colouring of either greens and pinks or various shades... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Conehead Mantis sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 597 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.
April and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Conehead Mantis in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to January, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mediterranean Conehead 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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Mediterranean Conehead Mantis sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%), Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 20%) and Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain, about 20%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the Mediterranean Conehead Mantis that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (order Mantodea, Mantises) are European Mantis (about 10%) and European Dwarf Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mediterranean Conehead Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama 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.
