We already brought you part one of our series on the dragonfly. But there is still so much more to tell about this beautiful insect so here are a few more interesting facts.
Number Eight: They Have Teeth
Because they eat such small prey and have extremely small mouths, it is extremely hard to tell that the dragonfly has teeth. They even belong to a specific order, Odonata, meaning “toothed one” in Greek because of their serrated teeth.
Number Seven: They Catch Dinner In A Unique Way
Number Six: Their Life Spans Vary
Dragonflies seem to have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to life spans. They can live anywhere from one week to one year depending o their living conditions.
Number Five: Pests Make Great Snacks
During the Summer, there is nothing more annoying than getting bitten by mosquitoes. And without dragonflies, this would be even more of a problem. They help maintain the mosquito population and can eat 30 to hundreds a day.
Number Four: Their Wings Do A Lot Of Work
It looks like a dragonfly’s wings beat together, but each actually works independently. Because of this, they can fly, hover, fly backwards and forwards and change direction instantly.
Number Three: They May Have Been Much Bigger
Dragonflies may appear small now, but research shows they may have been much bigger at one point. Scientists have said that high oxygen levels during the Paleozoic era may have allowed dragonflies to grow up to monster size. Wouldn’t that have been frightening!
Number Two: They Have Gills
Before a dragonfly becomes an adult, it goes through the nymph stage. At this point, it breathes through gills at the end of its abdomen because it still lives in water. The gills are also technically inside its rectum, meaning it breathes with its butt.
Number One: There Is More Than Just One Dragonfly
Like many insects, all dragonflies look the same unless you look closely. There are over 5,000 different species and each has their different characteristics such as coloring size and body shape. Thanks so much for reading our stories on dragonflies.
