Giant Asian Mantid (Hierodula membranacea)

Giant Asian Mantid (Hierodula membranacea)_1
Look at the spines on the arms. If they weren’t there, the mantis would need a much stronger grasp to hold onto the prey. This would require more energy, which would require more prey, so evolving the spines is an energy-saving mechanism. Evolution, like Economics, is basically Thermodynamics applied to a more narrow field.