dragonfly

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Dragonfly (Libellula forensis).

Swift long-winged skimmer (Pachydiplax longipennis).

A dragonfly larva captures a fish by extending its labial mask.

How a dragonfly larva catches prey

Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa).

dragonfly fossil

For Students

Dragonfly (Libellula forensis).

dragonfly summary

Read Next

Aedes aegypti mosquito, a carrier of yellow fever, dengue, and dengue hemorrhagic fever.

10 Questions About Insects Answered

Discover

Panama Canal infographic

Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal

Indian hijras participate in a religious procession in Gandhinagar, India, some 30 kilometers from Ahmedabad, on March 22, 2017. Hijra is a term used in South Asia which refers to transgender individuals who are born male. (gender identity, gender expression)

6 Cultures That Recognize More than Two Genders

Abstract vector hi speed internet technology background

History of Technology Timeline

Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds

Washington, D.C. locator map.

What State Is Washington, D.C. In?

Red Army (Soviet) soldiers in the Russian Revolution.

Russian Revolution Timeline

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. August 28th 1963

Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a Republican or a Democrat?

dragonfly: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	darning needle • devil’s arrow • Anisoptera • darner • devil’s darning needle

Photos and Videos

Dragonfly (Libellula forensis).

Swift long-winged skimmer (Pachydiplax longipennis).

A dragonfly larva captures a fish by extending its labial mask.

Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa).

dragonfly fossil

How a dragonfly larva catches prey

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

globe skimmer Attenborough’s pintail entomophagy Odonata damselfly

Quiz

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

wasp. Vespid Wasp (Vespidaea) with antennas and compound eyes drink nectar from a cherry. Hornets largest eusocial wasps, stinging insect in the order Hymenoptera, related to bees. Pollination

Know Your Bugs Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

List

Aedes aegypti mosquito, a carrier of yellow fever, dengue, and dengue hemorrhagic fever.

10 Questions About Insects Answered