1. Dragonfly λιβελούλα

2. The body of a dragonfly large eyes on the head
two pairs of strong, transparent wings
elongated body:
long abdomen
and short thorax

3. Compound eyes
Nearly all of the dragonfly’s head is eye, which gives them incredible vision that covers almost every angle except right behind them
This makes them very sensitive to movement

5. Dragonflies live on every continent except Antarctica.
There are 5680 known species, but “only” 85 live in middle Europe

6. Optimal living conditions
They usually live around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands
Some adult dragonflies live for only a few weeks while others live up to a year.

7. Metamorphosis
At the end of its larval stage, the dragonfly crawls out of the water
It’s exoskeleton cracks open and releases the insect’s abdomen, which had been packed in like a telescope
Its four wings come out, they dry and harden over the next several hours to days

9. Evolution
Around 300 million years ago dragonflies were some of the first winged insects to evolve

10. Eating habits - Adults
Adult dragonflies eat insects and are a great control on the mosquito population
A single dragonfly can eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes per day

11. Eating habits - Larvae
During the larval stage they eat just about anything
tadpoles, mosquitoes, fish, other insect larvae and even each other

12. Their flight They can move their two pairs of wings independently
This allows them to make abrupt changes in direction, to stand in the air or sometimes even fly backwards

13. Did you know?
The flight of the dragonfly is so special that it has inspired engineers who dream of making robots that fly like dragonflies.