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Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight. Dragonflies make use of motion camouflage when attacking prey or rivals. Dragonflies are predatory insects, both in their aquatic nymphal stage (also known as "naiads") and as adults.
Learn about dragonflies, the ancient insects with four wings and large eyes, that live on every continent but Antarctica. Discover their life cycle, diet, mating habits, and threats to their survival.
- 15 min
6 days ago · dragonfly, (suborder Anisoptera), any of a group of roughly 3,000 species of aerial predatory insects most commonly found near freshwater habitats throughout most of the world. Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are sometimes also called dragonflies in that both are odonates (order Odonata ).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Dragonflies Can Intercept Prey Midair. Dragonflies are flat-out terrifying if you're a gnat, mosquito, or other small bug. They don't simply chase down their prey; they snag them from the air with calculated aerial ambushes.
- They Have Incredibly Sharp Mandibles. Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the order Odonata, meaning "toothed ones," a nod to their serrated mandibles.
- They're Freaky Fliers. There are few species in the animal kingdom that can compare to the dragonfly's spectacular flying ability. The insects have two sets of wings with muscles in the thorax that can work each wing independently.
- Dragonflies Are All Eyes. If you look at a dragonfly's head, you might notice one thing in particular—or, rather, 30,000 things in particular. The area of an odonate's head is composed primarily of its enormous compound eyes, which contain 30,000 facets, each bringing in information about the insect's surroundings.
- Dragonflies Are Ancient Insects. Long before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, dragonflies took to the air. Griffenflies (Meganisoptera), the gigantic precursors to modern dragonflies had wingspans of over two feet and dotted the skies during the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago.
- Dragonfly Nymphs Live In the Water. There's a good reason why you see dragonflies and damselflies around ponds and lakes: They're aquatic! Female dragonflies deposit their eggs on the water's surface, or in some cases, insert them into aquatic plants or moss.
- Nymphs Breath Through Their Anus. The damselfly nymph actually breathes through gills inside its rectum. Likewise, the dragonfly nymph pulls water into its anus to facilitate gas exchange.
- Most New Dragonfly Adults Are Eaten. When a nymph is finally ready for adulthood, it crawls out of the water onto a rock or plant stem and molts one final time.
Jun 28, 2024 · Learn about the life cycle, diet, symbolism, and conservation of dragonflies and damselflies, beneficial insects that eat mosquitoes and other pests. Find out how to attract them to your garden with a pond and native plants.
Learn about the different types of dragonflies found in Jurong Lake Gardens, a nature park in Singapore. See photos and names of male and female dragonflies in red, yellow/orange, blue and black categories.
