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Praying mantises are what scientists call “generalist” hunters, meaning they eat pretty much whatever they want. Despite their eclectic taste, however, no one has ever seen a praying mantis eat fish—until now.

These formidable insects have been observed to eat other insects (especially fly-like bugs), lizards, frogs, snakes, turtles, mice, and even small birds (namely hummingbirds and brown creepers). Mantises are able to do so on account of their excellent 3D vision and powerful front legs, which they use to snatch unwary prey.

So yes, their taste in prey is diverse, but apparently, it’s even more diverse than we thought. Last year [2017] in India, a team of scientists led by Roberto Battiston from the Museums Canal di Brenta in Italy watched as a single mantis munched on nine guppy fish over several days. The resulting paper, published yesterday in the Journal of Orthoptera Research, is now the first to document fish-eating behavior in a mantis species. The unprecedented observation is changing what we know of praying mantises in terms of their versatility, physical capabilities, and intelligence.