There are approximately 3,600 known species of dragonfly in the world. In the British Isles there are 27 species of dragonfly and 16 species of damselfly. These fascinating and colourful creatures are among the fastest and oldest insects in the world. For these reasons only the dragonflies are well worth studying and protecting.
All dragonflies are carnivorous in both the larval and adult stages of their lives.
They feed on insect larvae and other smaller water dwellers up to the size of a large tadpole during the larval stage, and then graduate to most flying insects as adults. Dragonflies may exist as larvae, or nymphs, from a few months up to five years, depending on the species. During this stage they live entirely under water, mostly in ponds, lakes and canals. The dragonfly's adult life lasts for little more than one month. The Emperor dragonfly , Anax imperator , pictured on the front of this factsheet, has the largest wingspan of any British dragonfly - 10.5cm, and a body length of up to 8cm.