### animal | arthropod | insect:

Dragonfly
* All dragonflies are carnivorous in both the larval and adult stages of their lives.
* Dragonflies There are seven species of dragonflies in New Zealand
  - abound along with many other insects
  - adapt to environments
  - also deposit eggs in water
* Dragonflies also eat many different kinds of flies
  - other kinds of flies and the occasional honeybee
  - have the advantage of excellent eyesight
* Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight
  - also particularly weak to flattery
  - among the fastest and most acrobatic insects on wings
* Dragonflies are among the most ancient of living creatures
  - striking animals in the insect kingdom
  - ancient insects
  - beneficial insects, keeping the populations of pests like mosquitoes, down
  - bigger and keep their wings in a fixed horizontal position
* Dragonflies are capable of flies
  - thermoregulation
  - carnivorous and therefore indicators at the top of their food chain
  - difficult to photograph and are uncooperative models in the laboratory
  - dragonflies, cockroaches are cockroaches
  - everywhere and a variety of butterflies are attracted to wildflowers
  - extremely choosy about their habitat
  - fast flying predators on small insects with some species hovering like a helicopter
* Dragonflies are found all over the world
  - on every continent except Antarctica
  - generalists, that is, they eat whatever suitable prey is abundant
* Dragonflies are generally bigger and faster than damselflies
  - larger, stouter, in addition to being stronger fliers
* Dragonflies are good at hiding and staying out of reach from the feeding trout
  - examples of incomplete metamorphosis
  - harmless
* Dragonflies are highly beneficial predators that destroy large numbers of mosquitoes
  - skilled predators
  - incredible aerial acrobats, seemingly able to perform impossible maneuvers
  - insects that have long bodies, transparent wings, and large eyes
  - medium to large flying insects
  - more closely related to scorpionflies than to stoneflies
  - multicellular because they are made up of many cells
* Dragonflies are natural enemies of mosquitoes in all their stages of growth
  - predators of mosquitoes
  - now very common along the river, pond and lake
  - odonates
  - often the top predators in bog pools, which, due to their acidity, lack fish
  - opportunist feeders, preying on whatever they can find
  - powerful allies to connect with the spirit of nature
  - predators that eat insects
* Dragonflies are predatory insects which means they fly around eating other insects
  - probably the ideal insect to begin with to learn identification skills
  - quick to colonise new ponds, and are usually present in all good wildlife ponds
  - quite abundant and feed on other bugs like mosquitoes
  - skilled flyers
  - some of the fastest, best fliers in the insect world
  - sometimes the top predators in ponds with no fish
  - strong flyers, though most individuals stay around their natal pond or stream
* Dragonflies are the embodiment of color magic, and transformation
  - most aerodynamically perfect animal on the planet
  - totally harmless to people
  - true visionaries
  - unique in that they are carnivorous, eating other insects in abundance
  - unmatched as fliers and have a very agile, deliberate flight
  - unusual in using the direct flight muscles to power flight
  - usually much bigger and thicker bodied than damselflies
  - become scarce at higher latitudes
  - belong to the order Odonata
  - buzz about, multicolored flying machine-like organisms
* Dragonflies can accelerate in an instant, turn on a dime, hover in place, and even fly backwards
  - consume their weight in mosquitoes in a half hour
* Dragonflies can hover in mid air and then rapidly accelerate
  - one place, fly extremely fast, and even fly backwards
  - live under water for a long time
  - move each of their four wings independently
* Dragonflies can see in all directions at the same time
* Dragonflies catch and eat their prey in flight
* Dragonflies come from eggs
  - in a variety of colors including blue, green, yellow, and red
  - consume a large percentage of their own body weight in insects each and every day
  - create sound energy during flight
  - dance across the surface
  - dart about and then swoop down for the kill
  - dip their tails to lay eggs
  - do have ways that can protect themselves from predators
* Dragonflies eat a lot, and they constantly hunt for food
  - bugs and insects
  - meals
  - mosquito larvae
  - mosquitoes, according to the information on the package
  - salamander larvae
  - several different kinds of insects
  - tiny larvae
* Dragonflies emerge from lakes and marshes
  - the water in the warm months of spring or summer
  - feed on pest insects in rice, acting as a natural pest control
  - find their way by using the sun as a guide
  - flit above warm air pockets and deep green leaves dangle from tired oak
  - fly over surfaces
  - fly, fire flies illuminate during night time
* Dragonflies go back to the time of the dinosaurs
  - on and on, the Energizer bunnies of evolution
* Dragonflies has-part eyes
  - mouthparts
* Dragonflies have a hard time working for other people
  - abdomens
  - ability
  - big eyes
  - bulkier bodies than damselflies, with a shorter, thicker appearance
  - enormous eyes, while the eyes of damselflies are smaller and set more widely apart
  - excellent vision
  - extremely good vision, which they use to locate and catch small insects in flight
  - flap wings
* Dragonflies have large compound eyes , which is their main sense organ
  - long, slender bodies that vary in color and are frequently metallic
  - mandibulate or chewing mouthparts
  - no hard parts, such as exoskeletons, to fossilize
  - nymphs that live in water, such as in lakes and rivers
  - organs
  - secondary sex organs
  - some enemies
  - spindly legs
  - tremendous eyesight
* Dragonflies have two pairs of clear wings and three pairs of legs attached to the thorax
  - quite separate life stages
  - sets of paired, transparent wings
  - veins
  - very keen vision, with a field of vision that is almost a complete sphere
  - help control populations of biting flies like mosquitos
* Dragonflies hold their wings flat when at rest
  - out perpendicular to their bodies when resting, like an airplane
  - spread when they rest, while damselflies hold their wings up
  - hunt other insects by sight, both as adults and as aquatic nymphs
* Dragonflies includes air sacs
  - brains
  - carapaces
  - cell membranes
  - cytoplasm
  - ears
  - flight feathers
  - heads
  - nuclei
  - plasma membranes
  - quill feathers
  - sections
  - shells
  - skulls
  - thoraxes
  - vacuoles
  - lift wings
* Dragonflies live for weeks
  - throughout the world
  - under the water
  - locate their prey mainly by using their large compound eyes to locate prey
  - look for their food during the daytime
  - love to be near water
  - mate, often in mid-air, in a maneuver reminiscent of passing a baton
  - need food
  - often patrol a well defended territory
  - patrol wetlands in search of smaller insects like flies and midges
* Dragonflies play an important role in nature
  - the control of the mosquito population
  - possess habitats
  - provide food for large salmon
  - quickly reappear when one is clearing the pool of the fern
  - require water
  - seek prey
  - shake wings
  - sit with their wings spread out horizontally
  - sometimes stop by to see if there's any water in the meadow
  - specialize in different kinds of hunting techniques
* Dragonflies spend much of their lives as extremely ugly, underwater nymphs
  - the early part of their lives underwater in the nymph stage
  - spread wings
  - start to grow in water and then move into the air and fly
  - symbolize whirlwind, swiftness and activity
  - take flight
* Dragonflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis during their development
  - with the female dragonfly typically laying eggs water
  - usally live by ponds, marshes, slow moving waters or rivers
  - use sexual reproduction to produce offspring
  - usually munch their meals while in flight
* Many dragonflies migrate across the countryside.
* Most dragonflies adapt to environments
  - can catch prey on the wing
  - capture their prey in flight, plucking live insects right out of the air
  - catch pests
* Most dragonflies eat food
* Most dragonflies has-part eyes
* Most dragonflies have abdomens
  - hold their wings horizontally
* Some dragonflies appear in zones
  - are capable of rapid shifts in direction
  - can fly non-stop from dawn until dusk, sixteen hours in some cases
  - change their resting position to prevent overheating
  - depend on vegetation
* Some dragonflies eat ants
  - fire ants
  - wing ants
* Some dragonflies emerge from lakes
  - swamp
* Some dragonflies fly over water
  - so high and fast that they are very difficult to catch
  - give birth to larvae
* Some dragonflies have senses
  - sites
  - visual senses
  - hold wings
* Some dragonflies live for several years
* Some dragonflies live in environments
  - regions
  - near ponds
  - occur in Ireland
  - require heat
* Some dragonflies rest on husks
  - signal ownership with striking colours on the face, abdomen, legs, or wings
  - sit on hands
  - survive for years
  - thrive in environments
* Some dragonflies use penises
* is an odonate
+ Dragonfly, Adults, Eyesight
  * Dragonflies have tremendous eyesight. Their compound eyes are very large and have up to 50,000 individual lenses. Their eyes wrap around the top of the head. Sight is by far their most important sense, used to catch flies and avoid birds
  * Some dragonflies change their resting position to prevent overheating. They may use a handstand-like position to prevent overheating on sunny days. The abdomen is raised until its tip points at the sun, minimizing their surface area exposed to the heat. The position is called the 'obelisk posture'
  - Dragonflies and damselflies
  * Adult damselflies have thinner, more delicate bodies than those of dragonflies. This you can see even when they are flying. When at rest, most damselflies hold their wings together above the body. Most dragonflies hold their wings horizontally. The eyes of dragonflies are larger, and touch each other
+ Mosquito, Mosquito control: Flies :: Parasites
+ Nymph (biology): Insects :: Developmental biology
  * Some insects have nymphs that are aquatic, which means they live in water. These nymphs look very different from the adults. Dragonflies have nymphs that live in water, such as in lakes and rivers. Nymphs that live in water are sometimes called 'naiads'.
  * Dragonflies have large compound eyes, which is their main sense organ. They have four  strong transparent wings, and a long body.
+ Pterosaur, Rhamphorhynchoids
  * The group had a long tail, usually stiffened by rod-like bony tendons to keep it straight. This shows that their flight was extremely stable, which means it kept on course, rather than darted about. This feature is also found in 'Archaeopteryx' and in early bats, and in insects like dragonflies. Some dragonflies are capable of rapid shifts in direction.