Sunday, August 9, 2015

Killing Machines: the Ultimate Hunter

It is very difficult to photograph dragonflies. They don't sit very long in one spot, and flit around pretty quickly. However, I got this little guy to hang out for a bit. This is a female Autumn Meadowhawk, sympetrum vicinum. It's only a little longer than an inch and a half. From the order Odonata, the dragonfly (suborder anisoptera) is far cooler than its damselfly cousin (suborder zygoptera).

Dragonflies are probably the coolest flying insect ever, and the deadliest predator on earth. The dragonflies, like this one, have a 95% success rate when hunting. For perspective, great white sharks have a 50% success rate, and lions have 25%.