The praying mantis doesn't usually bite the head off of her man while copulating. Apparently, some scientists had at one time starved some of these creatures, and the femme fatales decided the only recourse was to snap off the heads of their men.
Mantis Religiosa
I, the Praying Mantis
prey upon lesser species
with ultimate finesse.
My wings provide swift flight.
My auditory channels
hear the smallest whimper,
and I attack my prey
with a lust that must
be satisfied.
When I am famished,
I thrust my acidic sap
upon the male of my species,
and while copulating,
I internally debate
his future. (Oh, I can multi-task.)
Occasionally, magnificently
I’ve been known
to snap his head right off
and masticate his splendid juice
blending our vital fluids
to finish off my day
with a cocktail of divine love.
Then, I bestow the gift,
my majestic beauty,
as I wrap our offspring
in a glutinous cocoon
nestled upon a woody limb
to endure winter's strife,
and the cycle prevails:
we, the preying mantid.
© Jeanne I. Lakatos