Dragonfly. General characteristics

Dragonflies are among the most ancient insects. There is even a belief that they are relatives of the dinosaurs, although there long before they occur and reach a very large size. Wingspan, the first in nature, dragonflies, reached one meter, for which they got their name, which in English sounds like "flying dragon".

At the moment scientists have known for more than 6,000 species of dragonflies. But in the CIS countries there are only about 170 of them. Dragonflies are the largest of all insects, and excellent fliers. In addition, these insects are very hardy and can cover distances of hundreds of kilometers without stopping and rest. The body length of the insect varies from 3 to 12 inches and consists of:

major head,
streamlined, slender, elongated calf
breast
wings

Color dragonflies can be quite varied, from light pink to dark brown. In some species the wings there are patterns in the form of spots and stripes of a darker color.
Like all insects, dragonflies have a lot of enemies. They often themselves become the prey of spiders and birds. Dragonflies prefer a solitary lifestyle, the same applies to hunting.

Essentially dragonflies are predators and feed mostly on the fly, grabbing prey with limbs folded basket. What makes the hunt for flies, mosquitoes, moths and other small insects, much easier. It was during hunting dragonflies develop the maximum speed that can reach up to 100 km / h While out hunting, their speed does not exceed 5 km / h

Despite the small size of dragonflies, her daily intake of food eaten is much larger than its own weight.

They are very voracious, and therefore, they have a lot of hunting, and always be on the alert, looking for his prey. What is undoubtedly play an important role their eyes. Because of the unique structure and number of eyes, the dragonfly can see great distances in all directions. Unlike all other insects, dragonflies do not have a blind spot. A couple of their large eyes, which occupy most of the head, consisting in turn of 30,000 individual small holes, allow to detect smaller insects and at a great distance. In addition to these eyes, they have three regular eyes, which are located at the sides and crown of the head, which allows to observe dragonflies, for everything happening around them.

Live dragonflies mainly in places with warm climate and a large supply of water and food. The lifespan of the insect can be 7 years if we consider all stages of development from larvae to adult insect. But the majority of species usually do not live more than six weeks.

Males in the mating season flock to bodies of water, pre-assembled in large flocks, where and begin to patrol in search of females. Mating occurs on the fly, and after fertilization the female drops to the water to lay eggs. They lay eggs on the plant that are above water on its surface or under water. On average, in a month from the eggs the larvae that continue to live and grow in water for 3 years. In this period of time, the larva undergoes a process of shedding about 15 times. After that, the larva creeps on to land, and when the last molt, on land, spreading their fledgling wings. But after 2 - 4 hours dragonfly will already be ready for your first flight.