heelwalker

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heelwalker

Where it comes from

Compound of heel + walker, from the fact that these insects have a habit of walking with the tips of their feet held up in the air.

noun heelwalkers

Any of the order Mantophasmatodea of carnivorous, wingless insects that superficially resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids. The gladiator heelwalker (Tyrannophasma gladiator) is a ferocious nocturnal predator. It uses both front and middle legs to grab and crush its spider and insect prey.
Similar: gladiator, rock crawler

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MLA

"heelwalker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heelwalker. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

heelwalker. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heelwalker

Chicago

"heelwalker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heelwalker.

BibTeX

@misc{heelwalker_2026,
  title = {heelwalker},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heelwalker},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}