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My Life as a Dragonfly
As a dragonfly, I began life as an egg among pond weeds. In two weeks, I hatched into a nymph, with a spider-like body. I remained a nymph for about two years. All this time, I was underwater eating tasty mosquito larvae, water lice, and small fish. As a nymph, I molted about twelve times, each time shedding my outer skin so that I had room to grow. After two years, I climbed out of the water. When I reached the fresh air, my outer layer split again and I wiggled out, opening my wings for the first time. Hooray! In a few hours, I began flying and catching insects. Over the next few weeks, I searched for a mate. What a life!
OLOGY CARD 141
Series: Animal
dragonflies
Based on fossils of ancient dragonflies, we know these winged insects have been soaring around for at least 300 million years. These colorful insects have sharp mandibles that they use to chew their prey. But don't worry: they only use their jaws to chomp on pesky insects like mosquitoes—not people! They spend most of their time flying through the air in search of food and mates.
Image credits: main image, courtesy of Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences.