- What is a dragonfly?
- Dragonflies characteristics
- How long does a dragonfly live?
- Dragonfly life cycle
- The dragonfly as a symbol
We explain what a dragonfly is, what its life cycle is like, how long it lives and other characteristics. Also, the dragonfly as a symbol.
What is a dragonfly?
A certain type of flying insects, belonging to the infraorder of Anisoptera, that make life around lakes, ponds, rivers and swampy regions, are known as dragonfly, damselfly, lice killer, folelé or alguacil, and are easily recognizable by their pair of double and transparent wings and its long and tubular body, similar to a helicopter, as well as for its fast flight and striking colors.
Dragonflies are insects that have an amphibian life cycle, that is, they present nymphs of aquatic life, and are in turn food for numerous species from aquatic animals, amphibians Y terrestrial. In addition, they are skillful predators, capable of using the optical illusion as camouflage to resemble an immobile object and thus stalk its prey, which consists mainly of mosquitoes, flies, bees, butterflies and moths.
Dragonflies characteristics
Dragonflies are characterized by the following:
- Are arthropodsThat is, they have articulated limbs and a chitin exoskeleton, and insects, for which they have two pairs of transparent wings and three pairs of legs. However, unlike other insects, they are unable to fold their wings over their torso, so they always have them fully extended.
- Their elongated and thin bodies allow them a very fast flight (up to 85 kmph in some species), and the anatomy of their legs allows them to catch their prey, but not to walk with them on any surface.
- Their vision capacity is impressive, given that they have around 30,000 ocular facets in each eye, which allows them a 360 ° vision around them and to spot their prey from a distance of 12 meters.
- They can fly in six directions: up, down, forward, backward, left, or right.
- They are very territorial animals, especially males.
- Like other insects, they reproduce sexually and the female lays eggs, from which larvae emerge which then, in turn, pass through a metamorphosis complete.
How long does a dragonfly live?
The lifespan of different species of dragonfly can vary enormously. In its entirety, that is, from egg to death As an adult, it can be around six years (in the largest species) or just a few months (in the small ones). However, most of the dragonfly's life is spent in its nymphatic form.
Dragonfly life cycle
The dragonfly's life cycle begins when its parents mate, which happens in the air or on some surface, after a courtship in which the male modifies his way of flying to attract the female. The latter then lays its eggs in the Water or very close to her, in plants aquatic or emergent, or in mud or moss on the banks of a body of water.
The eggs then hatch and release nymphs, which are their underwater way of life and feed primarily on the larvae of other insects, such as mosquitoes, or even tiny tadpoles and fish. Dragonflies spend most of their lives in this form, breathing through gills and swimming rapidly.
Once ready for metamorphosis, the nymph emerges from the water holding onto branches and other exposed surfaces and begins breathing air, awaiting the complex transformation process that will turn it into an adult. Once internal metamorphosis is complete, the larval skin opens and the adult dragonfly emerges, ready for an aerial life.
The dragonfly as a symbol
Dragonflies have captured the attention of human being since ancient times. The ancient civilizations They observed the transition of their life and the complex metamorphosis that it implies, and considered them emblems of the change, and therefore of the weather and of the life.
There were those who saw in it the rebirth of life, and therefore eternity or the immensity of time, and they were also interpreted as a symbol of life. maturity of the individual, since its adult form is the most recognizable.
Therefore, wisdom and lucidity were attributed to them, and were used as a family emblem of different royal dynasties, from Egypt to Japan, and carved in metals precious in jewels, scepters, tombs, pendants and other ornaments.