Hands Down Animals · Printable fact sheet
Dragonfly
Anisoptera
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Anisoptera |
|---|---|
| Size | 2–12 cm body length; 3–19 cm wingspan depending on species |
| Weight | 0.2–1.5 grams typically |
| Lifespan | typically 6 months as adults; up to 7 years including… |
| Diet | Adults prey almost exclusively on flying insects including mosquitoes, flies, bees, butterflies, and other… |
| Habitat | lakes, ponds, marshes |
| Where it lives | North America, South America, Europe, Africa |
| IUCN status | Least Concern (majority of species); some species threatened |
| Population | Unknown (billions worldwide) |
| Top speed | 54 km/h |
| Family | various (e.g., Libellulidae, Aeshnidae, Corduliidae, Gomphidae) |
About the dragonfly
Dragonflies are among the oldest insect groups still alive: fossils show relatives with 70-centimetre wingspans flying 300 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs. The roughly 3,000 species today live around fresh water, where the young spend months or years underwater as predatory nymphs before crawling out to become adults. Adults hunt on the wing with almost 360-degree vision from eyes of up to 30,000 lenses, catching around 95% of the prey they chase, and the globe skimmer migrates across the Indian Ocean between India and East Africa.
Five things to know
- Dragonflies are one of the fastest flying insects, reaching speeds of up to 54 km/h (34 mph).
- They have existed for over 300 million years and were among the first winged insects.
- Dragonflies spend most of their lives as aquatic larvae, sometimes for several years.
- Some species, like the Globe Skimmer, migrate thousands of kilometers across oceans.
- Their compound eyes can contain up to 30,000 lenses, providing nearly 360-degree vision.
Homeschool unit: Animals homeschool guide — Habitats, adaptations and food chains as a graded unit, with the dragonfly as one of its worked examples.