Dragonflies and the Science Behind Their Unique Adaptations

Dragonflies are some of the fastest flying insects in the world. With 360-degree vision, they can eat hundreds of insects per day, including those pesky mosquitoes and other biting insects. Their adaptations for flying are unique among insects and so precise that humans can only dream of being able to someday make machines that fly as well as dragonflies.

Dragonflies are similar in structure to an ancient group of insects informally called Griffinflies, which contains some of the largest flying insects to ever live. These dragonfly-like insects had a wing span of 2.5 feet, or 30 inches. That’s bigger than a house cat. How did these bugs get so big, and why are they no longer around? That’s a question we’re still trying to answer. 

Dragonflies have some unique adaptations to ensure they mate with the correct species, including remarkable variations in the male sex organ, and even a secondary sex organ.  Males can be aggressive while mating, which has led to some females living in a totally different habitat than males. In some cases, females mimic males or pretend to be dead to avoid males. 

Listen now as we talk about dragonflies

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