|
|
Facts on animals and plants: Dragonfly
| "Dragonfly" |
|---|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Dragonfly
Dragonflies (or Odonata) are insects. They have a head, a thorax to which the 4 wings and the 6 legs are attached, and an abdomen.
The insect becomes a dragonfly after being an egg and a larva in the water, sometimes during a period of 5 years, so the little dragonfly is not a young animal when it is flying around our world.
Fossils of dragonflies with 27" wingspans have been found. They date back over 200 million years. Now the biggest dragonflies have wingspans about 5 to 6 inches so they are tiny creatures.
Dragonflies are great flyers and can hold still in the air. This animal is sometimes thought of as being a symbol of immortality and regeneration. The dragonfly on the picture is the Libellula saturata.
More information on this topic can be found at Damsels and Dragons - the Insect Order Odonata by Ron Lyons.
|
| |
|
|
|
