Humans have always feared animals that roamed the dark. Anything that conducts its business after sundown must surely be malevolent in nature. Bats, in particular, have been held in very low esteem for centuries, especially in the western world. In the realms of human imagination, bats are often little more than creatures of evil, associated with the deepest night and devilish goings-on.
As Halloween approaches, some say the veil between the worlds becomes thinner, that apparitions and spirits can cross over and venture into our very homes. But this Halloween, you don’t have to believe in ghouls, spirits or trapped souls to have a ghost in your house. I am, of course, referring to this delightful oddity: the ghost mantis.
Halloween is almost upon us, so The Nature Nook will be looking at creatures with more macabre and sinister behaviours than usual. We’ll be starting off proceedings with this insect, a burying beetle from the genus Nicrophorus. These fascinating little creatures are the recyclers and undertakers of the insect world.
