Top 12 Fascinating Facts About Dragonflies

Dragonflies, the stunning insects, have existed for over 300 million years. The first dragonflies were much larger than their modern counterparts, with a colossal fossilized specimen boasting wingspans of approximately 76cm from the Permian period discovered in Kansas, USA.

Unlike many other insects, dragonflies are entirely harmless. They have inspired numerous mythological tales, earning unique nicknames for their elusive nature, beautiful wings, and peculiar flight style. Some distinctive monikers include:

• Devil's darning needle: People believed dragonflies would sew the mouths of misbehaving children while they slept.
• Snake's doctor: Dragonflies are considered protective creatures for snakes, aiding in wound healing or even resurrection.
• Snake's servant: Originating from the Welsh term “gwas-y-neidr” due to the association between dragonflies and snakes.

Despite most folklore painting them in a negative light, dragonflies are beneficial insects for humans. In Japan, they are highly revered and symbolize the nation's cultural identity as the Land of the Rising Sun.

With an impressive hunting strategy, but the ability to tear apart prey sets dragonflies' live feeding capabilities on a whole new level.

Both dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Odonata order, meaning 'toothed ones.' The reason for this name is because their lower jaws have teeth. When hunting, dragonflies grab their prey with their legs, tear apart the wings using sharp-toothed jaws to prevent escape, and then slice them into pieces without the need to land on the ground.

Alongside their impressive hunting technique, the dragonfly's ability to tear the prey apart is equally fearsome. While hunting, dragonflies catch and firmly hold their prey with their legs, tear the wings of the prey into two with sharp jaws to prevent escape, and start their meal right away - all done in mid-air.

Dragonflies are a nightmare if you're a mosquito, midge, or other tiny insects. They don't just chase their prey. Instead, they intercept the prey mid-air with aerial ambushes. Dragonflies can assess the speed and trajectory of the prey, adjust their flight direction, and then intercept them. With such refined skills, the success rate in dragonfly hunts is an impressive 95%.

A research group confirmed that the nervous system of a dragonfly can focus and clearly locate a target even when it's flying amidst a moving swarm of prey. This is similar to you being in a noisy restaurant but still being able to focus on conversations. Researchers also identified a cluster of 16 nerve cells connecting to the dragonfly's brain and flight muscles in the thorax. With the help of this nerve cluster, dragonflies can track moving targets, calculate a trajectory to intercept them, and adjust the path intricately when necessary. Following a set of rules, every hunt has its imperfections until it concludes.

Essentially, people often liken the dragonfly's swift, efficient, and intelligent hunting ability to a 'stealth fighter jet.'

Looking at the head of a dragonfly, you might notice something extraordinary. Or, to put it precisely, over 30,000 extraordinary things.

The head region of a dragonfly is predominantly the synthesis of its gigantic eyes, containing 30,000 facets, each carrying information about its surrounding environment. Dragonflies have a 360-degree field of vision with only one blind spot behind them. This exceptional vision is one of the reasons they can easily spot a single prey in an insect swarm and maneuver around it to avoid collisions with other insects.

Not only do they have exceptional vision, but they can also perceive the world in colors we can't even imagine. According to recent scientific findings: Humans have trichromatic vision, meaning the colors we see result from the combination of red, blue, and green. This is due to three types of light-sensitive proteins in our eyes called opsins. We're not alone: two-color vision and even tetrachromatic vision predominantly exist in the animal kingdom, from mammals to birds and insects. A study on 12 dragonfly species found that each species has fewer than 11 types of opsins, and some larger species have up to 30 different opsins.

Very few species in the animal kingdom can match the spectacular flying abilities of dragonflies. They possess two pairs of wings with muscle segments in the chest, allowing them to work independently. This enables them to change the angle of each pair of wings, showcasing remarkable agility in the air.

Dragonflies can fly in any direction, including sideways and backward, and can hover in one place for a minute or more. This outstanding capability is a key factor in the success of an 'aerial assassin'—they can maneuver around prey from any direction without raising suspicion.

Not only are they agile, but they are also incredibly swift, with some dragonfly species reaching a maximum speed of 18 miles per hour (30 km/h). They are renowned for their cleverness and endurance. Some species, known as global wanderers—like the Globe Skimmer dragonfly—can cross oceans during migration, covering distances up to 11,000 miles (>17,000 km) and holding the record for the longest insect migration in the world.

With speed, distance, and hunting agility, dragonflies stand out as extraordinary beings on our planet.

Dragonfly eggs are laid on the water surface or on branches, leaves near ponds, lakes, and wet areas, or in plant tissue over water. They hatch into nymphs, living off nutrients present in the eggs. Later, they undergo metamorphosis into larvae with about 9-14 molts (in most species), becoming voracious predators of aquatic organisms, including young fish.

However, in a fascinating discovery, entomologist Chris Goforth writes: 'There are very few insects that live in the ocean. Some ideas have been proposed as to why… but one of the clear reasons is that seawater is very salty, and some insects cannot survive in that environment. This seems not to be a problem for dragonflies. Some species, like the seaside dragonfly (Erythrodiplax berenicei), can successfully reproduce in much saltier environments than seawater.'

Indeed, the seaside dragonfly is a distinctive species due to its habitat, which includes salt marshes, mangrove forests, and saltwater ponds.

Dragonflies lay their eggs in water, and when the nymphs hatch, they live underwater for about two years. In fact, depending on altitude and habitat range, some species can remain in the nymph stage for up to six years. They molt up to 17 times until they mature, ready to swim to the water surface and transform into the dragonflies we see in the air.

They adapt remarkably to underwater life during this stage, with incredible hunting abilities and super-fast speed. They consume various types of food, including insect larvae, tadpoles, and even fish! Occasionally, they may also feed on other dragonfly nymphs. These fellows are also formidable predators.

Dragonflies go through 3 stages of development: eggs, larvae, and adulthood. The speed or slowness of a dragonfly's life cycle depends on temperature, food source, and climate.

Dragonfly's life cycle – EGGS: The dragonfly's life cycle begins in the form of eggs, laid in freshwater, and in some cases, dragonfly eggs are deposited near a water source. Female dragonflies open cracks in aquatic plant stems, placing eggs inside. In some species, females submerge themselves in water and lay eggs on aquatic plants. The hatching time varies greatly. In some species, eggs hatch in just a few days, while in others, eggs may hatch in the spring of the following year. A young larva will hatch from the egg in water and quickly shed its skin to become a true larva. If the young larva hatches from an egg laid on land, it will crawl into the water before shedding its skin.

Dragonfly's life cycle – LARVAE: Larvae are the second stage in the dragonfly's life cycle. The larval stage has a completely different form than the adult dragonfly. All dragonfly and damselfly larvae are aquatic, remaining in the water until ready to molt into the adult stage. In this aquatic stage, the larvae breathe through gills. The gills of dragonfly larvae are located at the end of the abdomen, while damselfly larvae have gills inside their rectum. Dragonfly larvae swim by drawing water into their rectum to breathe. When they forcefully expel the water, they are propelled forward. Dragonfly larvae swim by undulating their body.

Dragonfly's life cycle – ADULTHOOD: Once out of the water and protected by a rock or vegetation, the larva expands its exoskeleton, causing the outer shell to crack open. Gradually, the adult form emerges through external transformation (called exuvia) and begins to expand its wings, a process that may take an hour to complete. The newly emerged adult dragonfly is weak and pale, with limited flying abilities. Young adult dragonflies are more vulnerable to predators because they have softer bodies and weaker muscles. Only a few days after coming ashore, the adult dragonfly or damselfly will display the colors of the mature individual and achieve high flying abilities.

Dragonflies need protection from the dangers humans create, from pollution to the loss of their habitats. Fortunately, there are numerous sanctuaries worldwide. The United Kingdom established its first dragonfly sanctuary, named the Dragonfly Centre, in 2009 within the Wicken Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire.

According to The Guardian, 'Located within the Wicken Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire, this new center hopes to reverse the decline of 42 species found in the UK. Conservationists attribute this decline to the loss of marshland, pesticides, and their impact on agricultural land.'

Dragonfly enthusiasts can visit a sanctuary in the southwestern United States. The Dragonfly Sanctuary in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the nation's first pond sanctuary and home to a diverse range of dragonfly species.

Across the Pacific, dragonfly lovers can observe these creatures in various wildlife sanctuaries in Japan. These sanctuaries are created to ensure the habitat and diversity of dragonflies.

Dragonflies perform the fascinating task of helping humans control the insect population, especially the ones most harmful to us, such as mosquitoes and flies. They also inspire us to develop new technologies based on their incredible flying skills and vision. The least we can do as humans is to support the conservation of dragonfly habitats, allowing them to exist for another 300 million years.

Vietnamese proverbs include:

• July brings good luck, but dragonflies flying indicate a storm.

or

• Dragonflies flying low signal rain, flying high means sunny weather with shade.

Additionally, a Vietnamese children's rhyme states: Dragonfly bites your nose, learn to swim in four days. The belief is that if someone catches a dragonfly and lets it bite their nose, they will learn to swim.

Capturing dragonflies is a pastime for children in rural areas of Vietnam during summer, accompanied by rhymes like:

Dragonflies with wings will fly, Little Tí extends his hand to catch one.

Dragonflies with wings will fly, A little thief catches you and goes into seclusion...

In China, since the time of the Shang Dynasty, there has been a traditional toy called the bamboo dragonfly. It is made by taking a thin piece of bamboo shaped like the rotor of a helicopter, drilling a hole in the middle, and attaching a bamboo stick. When playing, one holds the stick and rotates it rapidly with both hands, making the bamboo dragonfly fly into the air.

In Vietnam, people also create toy dragonflies from leaves, metal, and other materials. These are often sold on sidewalks and in souvenir shops.

When it comes to diet, Dragonflies are not picky eaters. They are carnivorous insects and will consume anything available. Typically, their diet includes mosquitoes, flies, and even small dragonflies. Adult dragonflies capture their insect prey during flights, utilizing their exceptional vision and flying abilities. To catch prey, dragonflies create a basket with their legs. Then, they swoop in, capture the prey with their legs, and bite to hold it in place. They often consume what they catch while still in flight.

Most of the dragonfly's life is spent in the larval stage, where it molts from 6 to 15 times. During the final molt into the adult stage, it crawls out of the water and sheds its exoskeleton for the last time, discarding the old skin and taking flight with delicate, transparent wings. Unlike butterflies and beetles, dragonflies do not have an intermediate pupal stage before adulthood. Because of this, dragonflies are also called a form of 'incomplete metamorphosis.'

Some interesting facts about dragonflies:

• Dragonflies have been around since ancient times, predating dinosaurs by about 300 million years.
• The majority of a dragonfly's life is spent in water as a larva. Dragonfly larvae live underwater for about 1-5 years. When they mature, they live on average only about 5 weeks.
• Dragonflies are master aviators. Their flying speed is impressive, covering a distance 100 times their body length in just 1 second.
• Male dragonflies have their own territories and are ready to fight to defend them.
• Dragonflies have 360-degree vision.
• Dragonflies seem to be as common as food on the island of Bali in Indonesia.
• A dragonfly landing on your head is considered a sign of good luck.