Popa spurca
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an African Twig Mantis sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 219th most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Twig Mantis in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to December, the lowest months. Those are among Table Mountain National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in June.
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.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate African Twig Mantis sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 20%), West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the African Twig Mantis that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (order Mantodea, Mantises) are South African Mantis (about 10%) and Polyspilota caffra (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 Table Mountain 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.
