Spore Mantis

Template:Infobox MonsterSpore Mantises, also known as Phasmid Sylas, are giant insect kaiju that first appeared in the 2017 MonsterVerse film, Kong: Skull Island.

Name

The name 'Spore' means that a cell made by some plants that are like a seed and can produce a new plant while 'Mantis' is an insect.

Design

Appearance

Spore Mantises resemble stick-insects, albeit one so big it instead mimics a fallen log. They have six wood-shaped legs and bark-like skin covering their bodies, and their head is small and retractable into the log-like covering.

Roar

their roars are insect-like and very high pitched despite their size.

Personality

Spore Mantises remain camouflaged until their prey is within the right distance to attack. They can also be very aggressive when startled or when something decided to stand or sit on their backs.

Origins

A gigantic precursor to the Phasmatodea order, the Spore Mantis is, in essence, a stick insect the size of a mature redwood tree. The limbs of its bark-skinned body house a powerful muscle system that is a unique interweaving of striated tendons and fibrous structural tissues more commonly found in the stems and roots of trees. These appendages allow the Spore Mantis to scuttle across the ground at alarming speed.
A new king of trees has been crowned. The General Sherman tree might have the record in terms of height, but then again the General Sherman can't get up and hunt you down.
Housed within an epidermis of bark and vascular tissue, the Spore Mantis' trunk is host to a large, slug-like parasite with spiked teeth and bone-crushing jaws. The digestive system uses a protein-rich sap to digest and encase the bodies of its prey, before excreting the remains, perfectly preserved as crystalline amber droppings that clearly reveal what it has eaten within. Our cryptobiology department appreciates the transparency.

― Monarch Creature Profile

History

Kong: Skull Island

Jack Chapman encountered a Spore Mantis while trying to navigate through the island on his own. After the Spore Mantis was startled, it attempts to eat him. Chapman tried to kill it with his rifle, but the bullets only caused a bit of bark to fall off. The giant insect then fled from a Skullcrawler that immediately devoured Chapman.

Abilities

Camouflage

The Spore Mantises wooden tree-like bodies allow them to blend in with the surrounding forests.

Endurance and Stamina

With their large log-like bodies, the Spore Mantises endurance might be as high as creatures that are similar size to their size. Their thick skin can repel bullets from rifles, but they may not be strong enough to serve as protections from Skullcrawlers, and they will not risk fighting the powerful predators.

Intelligence

Spore Mantises can hunt prey that are of smaller or similar sizes, but they will give up their meal to larger and fiercer predators such as Skullcrawlers to survive.

Jaw Strength

The Spore Mantises' jaws are strong enough to crush bones.

Speed

The Spore Mantises' muscular appendages allow them to run across the ground at great speed.

Weaknesses

Limited Strength

The Spore Mantises might not be very strong creatures, as one was shown backing away instead of standing its ground when it saw a Skullcrawler.

Gallery

Production

Screenshots

Trivia

• Despite its name, the Spore Mantis does not resemble an actual mantis (lacking the trademark clasping forelimbs) and instead looks more like a stick insect.
  • In real life, however, some species of animals have names that are different from what they are (e.g. sea lions being pinnipeds instead of lions, prairie dogs being rodents instead of dogs, titmouses being birds instead of mice, and most insects with the word "flies" in their names being unrelated to actual flies.).
  • It is possible that the name is a reference to Kamacuras, a kaiju who is an actual mantis.

List of appearances

Films

• Kong: Skull Island (First appearance)

Novels

• Kong: Skull Island: The Official Novelization

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