praying mantis, jumping spiders, poison dart frogs, day geckos

One of our favorites, this beautiful little praying mantis is native to Southeast Asia and found on flowering, strongly branched shrubs watching for prey. They are active and aggressive hunters, making them great fun to observe!
They are easy to care for and are a fabulous species for interactive handling

Our most popular praying mantis! Their camouflage is unparalleled- as they sway back and forth, waiting to ambush their prey, the ghost praying mantis resembles a dry, shriveled leaf in the breeze. From south of the Sahara to Madagascar, p paradoxa are found on strongly branched shrubs and in open fields.
This beginner friendly mantis is tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions, and takes well to handling

Arguably the most beautiful mantis species, the orchid mantis is the most sought after exotic praying mantis. H coronatus exhibits beautiful white and pink coloration, and lobed legs that resemble the petals of a flower. They are found in India, the surrounding islands, and east from Thailand to Malaysia.

They are more sensitive than other mantis we offer and require care and attention to environmental conditions. We recommend h coronatus for experienced keepers

Another one of our favorites, these big beauties are one of the largest species of praying mantis successfully kept in captivity! Commonly called the giant Asian mantis, h membranacea are found throughout southeastern Asia. They are aggressive hunters that quickly and easily take down large prey.

They are easy to care for and take well to handling

This popular mantis hails from Africa and begins it‘s life as an adorable, spike-covered, black nymph. It retains it‘s spiny appearance into adulthood but, as it matures, loses it‘s black color & gains the white, green, and orange it will take into adulthood, often going through a purple phase. With lilac eyes, adults are white with green & orange stripes and wing patterns & have a striking, psychedelic, green, black, & cream spiral on their forewings. A fabulous mantis for interactive handling

This big beautiful praying mantis species is an agressive hunter- chasing down and eating whatever it can catch. They are almost as long as the giant Asian mantis and a little ‘heavier’. R megaera is native to China and Thailand and is one of our favorites. Sometimes called the Thai Giant, they are one of the largest mantis species. R megaera are easy to care for and take well to handling 

Meet the Vietnamese Dead Leaf Mantis- Deroplatys Gorochovi.  Another one of our favorite praying mantis , the females of this species has a huge, impressive shield. They prefer crawling prey, and require some humidity. They are a bit more defensive than some of the other species we raise- even with care, we occasionally observe a threat pose from our goros. The deimatic  display of these mantis is a sight to behold, with raptorial arms thrown up and back to frame the large shield

Such an unusual praying mantis! Both males and females have a large protrusion from their crown, giving them a very alien appearance. They have long legs and will sometimes ‘stand tall.’ We have found them easy to keep and a unique addition to our line up

Rarely found in the US hobby, the peacock mantis is large species of mantis native to Thailand and the surrounding areas. Their common name comes from the beautiful inner wings observed during deimatic displays. We find this species needs a good amount of humidity in order to molt properly. We achieve this with daily misting and the use of a moistened cotton pad on the enclosure floor for young nymphs. For older nymphs,  the use of substrate with daily misting has served them well

This unusual looking praying mantis is new to us at Malama Exotics. It‘s very exciting to keep this unusual species. Found in Southern Africa, the cryptic mantis is incredibly different- with long and delicate legs, a long, thin thorax, and appearing to wear a heart shaped crown atop its head.  Despite their delicate appearance, we have found them easy to raise and quite hardy

Another fabulous ‘dead leaf’ praying mantis, the triangle dead leaf mantis hails from Southeast Asia and most closely resembles a freshly fallen dead leaf. The camouflage this species exhibits is truly amazing

These mantis are just stunning! Reaching up to 4” in length, they are the largest mantis species found in Australia. As nymphs they are lime green, deepening in color as they mature, with striking red and black markings along the inside of their raptorial arms. They are easy to care for with humidity requirements met by daily misting. They are active hunters, and take well to handling

 We just LOVE this species! P picta is a bold and active mantis. They’re a good size mantis reaching up to 4”. They are voracious eaters, active  hunters, and have the most beautiful inner wing pattern that shows through the outer wings, giving them a really interesting and beautiful  marbled appearance.They are easy to keep and, though they can be a bit ‘spicy’, are very handleable. One of our all time favorites 

This species of shield mantis comes from Indonesia and has a large, impressive shield! We have found them to be very easy to raise and care for. They are super active,  readily chase down prey, and have fantistic handleability. We really enjoy having them in our collection and are proud to be able to offer them

Newly available! Some beautiful budwing mantis. More information to come

It doesn’t get much more adorable than this! This small species of mantis is found in southeastern Asia and, with adults reaching little more than 1”, they’re one of the smallest species we keep. What these little cuties lack in size, they more than make up for in charm. With their huge and colorful shielded forearms, they give the appearance of wearing boxing gloves- and they’re just too adorable 

These adorable little mantis are masters of camouflage- blending in so perfectly with it‘s beautiful patterns. The Mayan lichen mantis is rumored to reproduce through  parthenogenesis. We are keeping a small number of them with the hope to prove that out   

Acromantis are a small species of mantis with some interesting behaviors, reaching 1 1/2”  when mature. These little ones have a dramatic ‘playing possum’ defense, with the most convincing act we have ever seen! Easy to keep and breed, acromantis are a nice choice for a beginner keeper interested in keeping something a bit outside of the norm 

The Arizona mantis is a large species of mantis found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Though not as large as some of giant Asian and African mantis we carry, the Arizona mantis can reach 3” in size and ranges in color from green to light brown. Very easy to care for, they make a great beginner mantis 

This beautiful and unique little mantis species beautifully mimics moss or lichen as it rests on trees and branches. They prefer to rest on trees in a downward position,  pressed flat against the bark while waiting to ambush prey 

The giraffe, or long neck, mantis is an extremely slim mantis found in Southeast Asia. It is the most thin bodied mantis we've seen in the hobby with a very unique look. It‘s extremely thin body allows it to easily hide among sticks and branches as it waits for prey

The African twig mantis is another really unique looking mantis- it has a very distinct posture as it rests, downward facing, on branches. With it‘s abdomen carried at a 45 degree angle, it looks like just another twig of the branch it’s resting on! Easy to keep, the African twig mantis is an excellent choice for beginners and experienced keepers alike

One look at the beautiful wing pattern on this lovely mantis is all it takes to see where it gets its common name from! 

Because who doesn’t want a blue frog?! Azureus are native to southern Suriname where they are found near streams in small pockets of subtropical jungle within the Sipiliwini Savana. A fabulous beginner dart frog that is medium sized, quiet, moderately bold, and never ceases to amaze with that fantastic blue color!  

Commonly referred to as the peacock dart frog, D Tinctorius Tumucumaque have only recently become available in the US.  A fabulous beginner dart frog that is medium sized, quiet, and moderately bold, Tumucumaque exhibit beautiful turquoise, yellow-orange, and royal blue markings

If you’re looking for a bold, beautiful dart frog that typically does well kept in small groups, look no further! Reaching up to 2 1/4”, p  terribilis are the largest and boldest of our dart frogs. Orange blackfoot teribillis are native to Columbia and found in the foothills of the Andes. Wild terribilis reportedly carry enough toxin to kill 10 grown men while captive bred individuals, like all our dart frogs, produce no toxins, are completely harmless and safe to keep

Another fabulous color choice for terribilis lovers! P terribilis ‘mint’ is just as big, bold, and beautiful as orange blackfoot. Native to western Colombia, p terribilis ‘mint’ is found in the rainforest near the Saija river and, while wild terribilis are reportedly the most toxic vertebrate, captive bred individuals, like all our dart frogs, produce no toxins, are completely harmless and safe to keep

We‘re so excited to add this stunning species to our dart frog family. We have a good amount held back for our breeding group and are now able to release a few froglets

If you’re looking for a tiny frog with a big personality, oophaga pumilio Bastimentos is for you! Our line of bastis are from the Red Frog Beach locale. Growing no larger than 1”, these tiny frogs typically have intense red to red-orange coloration with black spots, white bellies, rear legs, and feet. Like all oophaga, o pumilio Bastimentos females care for their tadpoles by feeding them unfertilized eggs until they morph into tiny froglets

How amazing are these little beauties?! We just acquired a small group of juveniles that we hope to use in a future breeding program. Updates to follow as our little group matures 

UPDATE DECEMBER 2024- we have witnessed calling from one of our little group and are hopeful some courting behavior will follow soon!

What fabulous little frogs these vanzos are! Another wonderful ‘thumbnail’ frog that can be successfully kept in small groups, they’re simply too adorable. We just acquired a small group and have high hopes to be able to offer froglets in the future. 

By far the most inquisitive and active geckos we keep! Just one look is all it takes to see why these gorgeous little geckos are known as the Electric Blue Day Gecko. Dominant males are a rich and vibrant electric blue, while females and subordinate males present from green to brown with aqua or copper accents. Both sexes have orange bellies. This tiny dwarf species is only found living on pandunus trees in a small area of the Kimboza forest and is critically endangered in their natural habitat 

The beautiful p laticauda with a colorful twist! Our Hawaiian blue line of Gold Dust Day Geckos have beautiful turquoise sides and head markings on vibrant green bodies. We find ours a bit less shy than the ‘wild type’ of laticauda with our male taking food directly from our hands!

We fell in love with these guys on Big Island Hawaii. With their blue-lidded eyes, and red markings on bright green bodies with a ‘dusting’ of yellow/gold speckles, these gregarious geckos make wonderful vivarium residents. We enjoy observing our gold dust day geckos basking on bamboo poles and darting about as they capture live prey

We are raising 5 of these adorable cuties from 2 sources, and hope to be able to create a future breeding group. For now, we’re having the time of our lives observing these little guys‘ antics. They’re so much fun