Dragonflies have been around long before humans, surviving millions of years thanks to their incredible adaptability. Now found on every continent except Antarctica, they truly demonstrate remarkable resilience.
These ancient insects boast impressive abilities, such as regulating their body temperature and seeing movement almost in slow motion. Explore the fascinating world of dragonflies through stunning photos, and uncover intriguing facts and legends about these captivating creatures from all over the world.
They're Considered Good Luck In Many Cultures
Dragonflies are fascinating creatures, admired for many reasons and regarded as symbols of good fortune across various cultures worldwide. They often embody qualities like maturity, wisdom, strength, bravery, prosperity, harmony, and even a touch of magic.
When a dragonfly lands on someone, it's thought to be especially lucky—signaling positive changes and new opportunities ahead. Have you ever had a dragonfly land on you?
Dragonflies Aren't Above Eating Other Dragonflies
Dragonflies aren't selective when it comes to food. Each day, a dragonfly can eat roughly 15% of its body weight, with larger species consuming even more. During their aquatic nymph stage, they feast on a variety of small creatures like tadpoles, tiny fish, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates.
Once they become adults, their diet remains diverse, including mosquitoes, bees, flies, beetles, moths, and even smaller dragonflies. For these insects, it’s all about getting the nutrients they need to thrive.
They Form A Heart-Shaped 'Wheel' When They Mate
Like many creatures, adult dragonflies spend much of their time either feeding or mating. Their mating process is unique — during copulation, their bodies form a heart-shaped "wheel."
When a pair joins, the male uses specialized claspers at the end of his abdomen to hold the female by the back of her neck. These claspers fit into grooves on her body, allowing them to fly together while connected. Depending on the species, this wheel position may last just a few moments or stretch on for several hours.
Dragonflies Were Huge During The Paleozoic Era
Most modern dragonflies have wingspans between two and five inches. But fossil records show that prehistoric dragonflies were far bigger—some with wingspans reaching up to two feet. Around 300 million years ago, during the Paleozoic era, these giant insects ruled the skies.
Their massive size was due to the Earth's atmosphere having about 50% more oxygen than today. Scientists have even successfully raised dragonflies about 15% larger than normal by breeding them in chambers that replicate those oxygen-rich ancient conditions.
Males Are Very Territorial
Male dragonflies are fiercely territorial. They usually stake out spots near water that are ideal for females to lay their eggs. To protect their domain, males patrol a specific flight path, keeping an eye out for food and unwelcome visitors.
Any other males of the same species better steer clear! When an intruder enters, the resident male launches into a fierce defense of his territory. Dragonfly battles can get surprisingly intense and aggressive.
There Are More Than 5,000 Known Species Of Dragonflies
Smithsonian Magazine reports that approximately 5,000 species of dragonflies continue to thrive today. These fascinating insects are part of the order Odonata, a name rooted in the Greek word for "toothed," a nod to their jagged mandibles. Adult dragonflies are easily identifiable by their oversized compound eyes, elongated bodies, and two sets of clear wings that give them exceptional hovering and flight capabilities.
Dragonflies are incredibly adaptable and have established a presence on nearly every continent—everywhere except Antarctica.
Their Flight Capabilities Inspire Scientists
With four wings that can move independently, dragonflies are exceptional fliers, capable of reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour. They can hover like a helicopter, fly vertically, and even perform mid-air mating—all with remarkable control.
Their impressive aerial skills have captured the attention of engineers designing drones and robotics. As MIT professor Jonathan How explained, "one specific advantage you get in four wings is the maneuverability and ability to pick things out of the air and hover and dart around." Shown here is a dragonfly-inspired bio-robot showcased at a 2017 conference.
Dragonflies See The World In Slow Motion
As we've discovered, dragonflies experience the world through a very different lens than humans. Their lightning-fast reaction time allows them to perceive motion in what we'd consider slow-motion. While humans process around 60 images per second, dragonflies can register roughly 300.
This incredible visual ability enables them to detect and track fast-moving prey with ease—spotting insects that would be a blur to us and turning them into their next snack.
Some People Believe Dragonflies Are Evil
While some cultures see dragonflies as symbols of good luck, others regard them with suspicion or fear. In various parts of Europe, they go by names like "devil's horse," "water witch," "hobgoblin fly," and "snake killer," often linked to sinister forces.
An old Swedish legend even claimed that the devil used dragonflies to weigh people’s souls—so if one buzzed around your head, it might mean you were being judged for a place on a hellish "naughty or nice" list.
Dragonflies Don't (Intentionally) Harass Horses
File this one under "dragonfly myths that aren't true." Many people believe that dragonflies intentionally irritate horses, but that’s not the case. If you were to ask a horse how it felt, it might say it feels harassed when a dragonfly persistently flies around it, but the insect isn't targeting the horse.
Since dragonflies don’t have stingers and rarely bite, they aren’t a threat to horses in any way.
It's A Myth That They Live Just One Day
This is a common myth about dragonflies. Many people believe these creatures only live for one day, but that's not true in most cases, though they do have relatively short lifespans.
According to Healthline, many dragonflies live for one to two weeks after emerging from their larval state, although some can live for eight weeks or longer. During most of their short adult lives, they spend their time eating or mating.
Dragonflies Only Eat While They're In Flight
Once a baby dragonfly emerges from its larval stage and takes its first breath of air, it faces an immediate challenge: learning to hunt while flying. Dragonflies rely completely on their flying abilities to survive—they can only eat prey they catch mid-air. If they can't fly, they won't be able to feed.
They use their legs to snatch insects while in flight, and they're incredibly efficient at it. A study by Harvard University showed that dragonflies successfully caught 90 to 95 percent of the prey introduced into their enclosure—making them some of nature's most effective hunters.
Their Amazing Eyesight
As you might expect from their appearance, dragonflies have incredible eyes. Their multifaceted or "compound" eyes can have up to 30,000 facets, allowing them to detect colors beyond the human spectrum, such as ultraviolet (UV) light.
These specialized eyes are also highly sensitive to movement, making them excellent at tracking objects. Dragonfly expert Robert M. Olberg of Union College explains it this way: “They can see you when they're flying toward you and still see you when they’re flying away.”
They Don't Sting
Dragonflies might look intimidating, but they don't have stingers—so there’s no risk of getting stung. They do, however, have strong jaws with tiny tooth-like serrations, meaning they can bite if they feel threatened.
That said, it’s rare for a dragonfly to bite a human. They’re not aggressive creatures, and usually only bite in self-defense. Even if one does nip you, it’s usually harmless and unlikely to break the skin.
Some Dragonflies Migrate With The Seasons
Some types of dragonflies migrate with the changing seasons, and some of these journeys are surprisingly long. The green darner, for instance, travels up to 900 miles from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Dragonfly migration happens over several generations. The first group heads north in the spring, lays eggs, and then dies. Their offspring grow up in the north and fly south by fall. A third generation lives out its life in the south, and its young eventually begin the cycle again.
They Can Control Their Body Temperature
In order to fly, a dragonfly's muscles have to be within a certain temperature range. As with other cold-blooded creatures, dragonflies are able to raise their temperature by exposing themselves to the sun, which is why you might see them perched with their wings outstretched.
Bigger dragonflies can also use a technique called "wing-whirring" to warm themselves up. This is where they'll rapidly vibrate their wings in order to generate heat in their flight muscles.
Dragonflies Were Some Of The First Winged Insects To Evolve
The earliest known flying insects in the fossil record are now-extinct species closely related to today's dragonflies. Scientists estimate that these ancient fliers evolved around 300 million years ago, making dragonflies one of the oldest groups of winged insects.
The oldest confirmed insect fossil, however, is a wingless creature resembling a modern-day silverfish, dating back roughly 385 million years. About 60 million years later, insect fossils began to appear in much greater numbers. "For many millions of years you had nothing, and then just all of a sudden an explosion of insects," said Stanford University researcher Sandra Schachat.
Female Dragonflies Have A Very Direct (And Surprising) Way Of Turning Down Males
Many types of animals are known to play dead as a method of self-defense. It's usually done to prevent themselves from being killed or eaten by predators. Female dragonflies, on the other hand, play dead to avoid having sex with undesirable suitors.
New Scientist reported on the phenomena and watched as female dragonflies plunged to their "deaths" when approached by unwanted males. Surely they could think of a more friendly way to say no!
They Might Have A Human-Like Power Of Concentration
Although dragonflies' brains are much smaller than ours, there's some evidence that the insects are capable of performing some pretty high-level tasks. LiveScience reported that dragonflies have exhibited something called "selective attention," where they screen out irrelevant information and focus on a single target instead.
That kind of attention span is usually associated with higher-level primates and is essential in a dragonfly's hunting. "Once the dragonfly has selected a target, its neuron activity filters out all other potential prey," said expert Steven Wiederman. "The dragonfly then swoops in on its prey — they get it right 97 percent of the time."
They Keep Mosquito Populations Under Control
Adult dragonflies, which live on a diet of insects, help keep mosquito populations low. One single dragonfly can eat anywhere from 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes per day! Even before reaching adulthood and when they're still in the larval state, they also consume mosquito larvae in the water.
To take advantage of this natural mosquito control resource, The Science Times recommends that people can attract dragonflies to their gardens by planting a wide variety of trees and shrubs, especially water plants that grow near and in ponds.
Dragonflies Spend Part Of Their Lives Underwater And Part Above Water
Female dragonflies lay their eggs in water. These eggs then develop into a swimming larval stage and are called nymphs. These nymphs live underwater and shed their skin many times as they grow.
Once it reaches the end of its larval stage, the dragonfly crawls out of the water and its exoskeleton cracks open. Then the insect's four wings come out. It takes several hours or days for the exoskeleton to dry out and harden.
Don't Worry; They Can't Sew Your Mouth Shut
Yes, this is actually something that people believe(d). One of the largest types of dragonfly is known as a "green darner," because of its resemblance to a darning or sewing needle. There's a scary old European myth about them that people would tell their children to keep them from misbehaving.
The myth said that dragonflies would sew your mouth (or eyes, or ears) shut while sleeping as a punishment for wrongdoings. Some people are still told this story as children today! It's definitely not one to worry about. Dragonflies are clearly not able to sew anything, let alone human skin.