Why Dragonflies Are So Cool

Lots of other insects get more press. The world is trying to save honeybees. Butterflies are having gardens built in their honor. Even less than popular bugs, the wasps, ants, and aphids of the world are common in the insect headlines. But dragonflies just seem to get overlooked.

And, let’s be honest: dragonflies are super cool. Just their looks alone are striking, the big eyes and vibrant colors and wild flapping wings, but they have the added advantage of not stinging or biting people. Nor do they bite our veggies in the garden. Dragonflies aren’t causing any trouble, just going about their lives.

And, their lives—from prehistoric times to the day-to-day—are chocked full of interesting facts, stuff that makes the dragonfly both a unique animal to behold and a fascinating one to learn about. So, sit back, dive into an article, and gather up some trivia to wow friends, family, and strangers with: dragonflies.

Source: National Geographic/Youtube

Dragonflies Are Millions of Years Old

Amongst the first winged insects, dragonflies date back as far as 300 million years ago, before dinosaurs. However, the dragonflies of today have wingspans of between two and five inches, whereas fossils reveal that dragonflies of old had wingspans as wide as two feet. Scientists believe that the high oxygen levels of the Paleozoic Era allowed them to grow so large.

There Are Over 3,000 Species of Dragonflies

The dragonfly order (Odonata), shared with damselflies, has many different incarnations of these insects. Odonata means “toothed one” in reference to the insect’s impressive serrated teeth. Dragonflies can be clubtails, hawkers, petaltails, cruisers, goldenrings, tigertails, and skimmers. Most come from tropical climates, but there are species that like temperate weather as well. Dragonflies of some variety live on every continent, save Antarctica.

Dragonflies Are Crazy Good At Flying

Source: ZoneA/Youtube

Commonly confused with damselflies, which aren’t as agile, dragonflies are incredibly skilled fliers. They can hover, move up and down, go backward, and mate in mid-air. They have to be skilled: they only eat what they catch while flying. Harvard researchers learned that dragonflies were able to capture 90-plus percent of prey released into their enclosure. Their flying techniques are so impressive, engineers are aspiring to make robots that can fly like dragonflies.

• Southern giant darner dragonflies have been clocked at 60 miles per hour.
• The globe skimmer dragonfly migrates 11,000 miles between India and Africa.

Dragonflies Are Young Much Longer Than They Are Adults

Dragonfly larvae are called nymphs, and they are completely aquatic. They feed on just about anything available, from tadpoles and fish to mosquitoes and other larvae. The larval stage can last years, after which the larvae come out of the water, and the exoskeleton cracks open so that the dragonfly’s abdomen can stretch out.

The four wings also come out and require several hours, even days, to harden so that the dragonfly can fly. Many don’t make it to adulthood due to the vulnerable stage between larvae and adulthood. Dragonflies, then, can live as little as a few weeks or as long as a year.

Dragonflies Have Incredible Bodies

Source: Real Science/Youtube

• Their heads are nearly all eye, and they are able to see nearly every angle around them. The only place a dragonfly can’t see is directly behind itself.
• Nymphs breathe with gills located in their rectum, and they also use the rectum to propel themselves quickly around in the water, a la jet skis.
• Male dragonflies have separate sex organs. The organ used for copulating is located on its underside in the second or third segment of the abdomen. But, sperm is stored in an opening in the ninth segment. The dragonfly has to fold its abdomen before mating in order to put sperm on its sex organ.
• Dragonflies, which are technically cold-blooded, control their body temperature by moving their wings rapidly to create heat.

Dragonflies Are Allies For Humans

Though they are no threat to us, not even a little sting, dragonflies are fierce hunters—complete carnivores—and feed on insects that often cause humans discomfort. Certain dragonflies can eat over 100 mosquitoes a day. Their other favorite food is midges. Besides that, dragonflies eat flies, moths, gnats, mayflies, beetles, bees, and butterflies. Dragonfly larvae even eat mosquito larvae.

Dragonflies Are So Cool

Source: Beauty of Science/Youtube

Dragonflies are great fun to watch, and they are known to move about in huge swarms. So, it’s possible to see loads of them all at once. All the while, they are out there doing us a great service. How cool is that?

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