Mantis

The mantis is a bug in the that has appeared in every game to date. Starting in, when the mantis is approached, it will raise its head in defense. If disturbed long enough, it flies away into the air with a buzzing noise.

In the games that the mantis appears in, it is an uncommon bug that the player can encounter, and can be found on flowers. In, it can be caught from spring to fall.

Donating to the museum
As with all fish and bugs in the, the mantis can be donated to the museum. Upon donation, Blathers will say the following in their respective games:

In
The mantis can be found towards the back of the museum, perched atop a rose on the upper terrace.

In
Upon being donated, the mantis can be found in the room of the bug exhibit with the light in, resting on some flowers near the light. The exhibit has this to say about the mantis:

In
Once donated to the museum, the mantis can be found on the tropical flower bed near the butterfly exhibit with the stinkbug and the tiger beetle.

Real-world information
It is unclear as to what type of mantis appears in Animal Crossing, as there are roughly 2000 species world-wide. However, it seems likely that it is Tenodera aridifolia, the Japanese giant mantis, a large species of mantis that can be found across East to Southeast Asia.

Mantids can be traced back to over 35 million years ago, and are related to cockroaches. They can be found across temperate and tropic areas all across the world, and can fly. They are strictly carnivorous, and rarely think twice about attacking larger animals.