The Dragon Hunter
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Join Keith Wilson as he tracks dragonflies around the world.
I am a dragon hunter. Dragonflies, that is! My name is Keith Wilson. I'm an odonatologist. That's a scientist who studies dragonflies. I don't hunt to kill. I hunt to discover. So far, I have helped to find many new species, or kinds, of dragonflies.
FLYING COLORS
About 5,500 dragonfly species buzz around the world. Hunting them is not easy. Many of them live deep in rain forests. To find them, I have to walk through thick bushes. I have to put up with leeches. They are worms that drink blood. I even have to watch out for hungry crocodiles.
So why do I look for dragonflies? The answer is simple. I love them! They can speed by. They can make sharp turns and sudden stops. They can hover. They can even fly backward.
Best of all, dragonflies are beautiful. They come in many colors and patterns. Who doesn’t like looking at these amazing insects?
Take the tropical rockmaster, for example. It is one of my favorites. It has black wings and a blue body. Other kinds are even more colorful. Some have blue, green, or red bodies. One even has orange wings.
SUPER SIZES
Dragonflies come in many sizes. The smallest one is the size of your thumbnail. The largest one would cover your face.
I recently looked for the heaviest dragonfly in the world—the giant petaltail. It lives in Australia.
You might think such a large bug would be hard to miss. The petaltail, however, is very rare. Few people have ever seen it. After looking for a week, I spotted several of them zooming around.
BUILT TO HUNT
The hungry petaltails were hunting. Dragonflies are built to hunt. They have two compound eyes. Each eye is made of 30,000 smaller eyes.
All those eyes help a dragonfly see everything. A dragonfly can spot a tasty meal from up to 18 feet away.
Dragonflies have six legs. The insect cannot walk on its legs, however. It uses its four wings to get around. It soars through the sky at 30 miles an hour, looking for prey.
FROM WATER TO AIR
A dragonfly begins its life underwater. It hatches from an egg and becomes a larva. A larva is a young dragonfly. It can swim, but it cannot fly.
A larva lives in a lake or stream. It can grow for several years. Then it crawls out of the water. It sheds its hard skin and becomes an adult.
An adult dragonfly doesn’t have much flying time. Some adults live for only a few weeks. Others are around for several months. During that time, a dragonfly is very busy. It flies. It hunts. It eats. If the dragonfly is female, it also lays eggs. Soon there will be more young dragonflies.
DRAGONFLIESS IN DANGER
I worry about dragonflies. People are cutting down forests where the bugs live. That could cause some species to die out. I want to protect these tiny dragons for others to see and enjoy.
Article by Keith Wilson. Top-of-page photo by Omar Bocanegra. "The Dragon Hunter" appears on pages 4-9 of our September 2005 issue.
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// ONLINE EXTRA //
TIPS FOR SAVING DRAGONFLIES
Dragonflies have been on Earth for more than 250 million years. They were alive before birds. They outlived dinosaurs. Still, they are at risk.
Three Ways to Save Dragonflies:
- Create new habitats. Dig a pond in your backyard or at your school. Make sure to trim back surrounding trees. Dragonflies like sunny spots.
- Keep it clean! Ponds near farms can become polluted. Ask farmers to keep pigs and cows separate from ponds. Manure lowers the oxygen level in water. Without enough oxygen, dragonfly larvae will die.
- Support conservation. Join a cleanup at a pond near you. Or you can raise money to support wildlife parks.
// LINKS //
A Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies
Read more about the life cycle of a dragonfly.
Dragonflies and Damselflies of North America and Mexico
Which dragonfly species live in your area? Find out with this map.
The British Dragonfly Society
Learn how to build a pond for dragonflies.
The Hine's Dragonfly
Get the buzz on the Hine's emerald dragonfly. It's endangered.
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