Dragonflies are interesting creatures to learn about.
Dragonflies are interesting insects, from their long, needle-like bodies to their colorful wings. They are from the order Odonata, meaning "tooth," because of their strong jaws that crush their prey. Dragonflies dart around and might startle you by halting in mid-air and looking right at you, but, unless you hold one in your hand and press its mouth to your skin, a dragonfly won't bite you.
Biology
Dragonflies have three main body parts like other insects: head, thorax and abdomen. The dragonfly's four wings and six legs are attached to its thorax. The front wings are not attached to the back wings, so each set of wings can flap separately. The wings have tiny pockets that catch the tiniest gusts of wind so the dragonfly can easily take flight. They can fly in every direction, including backward. A dragonfly has two large compound eyes that are made up of 30,000 ommatidia, which are like tiny, individual eyes. These compound eyes help them see and sense movement in any direction.
Life Cycle
Dragonflies mate while they are flying. Appendages on the male lock into grooves on the female's body to secure them together in flight. After mating occurs, the female usually lays eggs on a plant in the water. The eggs hatch and a nymph dragonfly emerges. Nymphs have no wings, but have a hump on their backs. Nymphs can live and develop in the water for up to four years. If a nymph is fully grown at the start of winter, it will wait until spring, then shed its skin and become a young dragonfly. Right away, the dragonfly will look for food, then a mate, and the cycle begins again. Adult dragonflies live for approximately two months.
Food and Predators
Nymph dragonflies often eat mosquitoes and other small, aquatic larvae and worms. They have also been known to snack on minuscule tadpoles and fish. Although they are aquatic, they occasionally go on land for a snack. Adult dragonflies are agile hunters. They enjoy gnats, flies, mayflies, mosquitoes and sometimes even prey upon butterflies, moths and bees. They will even eat smaller dragonflies or dragonfly nymphs on occasion. Birds, frogs, fish and large spiders prey upon dragonflies. Dragonflies do not have stingers.
Fascinating Facts
Dragonflies are speedy. They can fly up to 36 miles per hour. Huge dragonflies lived with the dinosaurs, approximately 300 million years ago, and the largest fossil ever found had a 2-and-a-half foot wingspan. Dragonflies cover the earth; they have been found on every continent except Antarctica, and there are about 5,000 different species, 450 of which are found in the United States. A bee flaps its wings 300 times per second, but a dragonfly only has to flap about 30 times because of its four strong wings.
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