Interesting facts about Dragonflies

Dragonflies are fascinating creatures. See below a few interesting facts about Dragonflies.

• The largest insect ever known to inhabit prehistoric earth was a dragonfly and had a wingspan of close to 75 cm.
• They are some of the fastest insects on earth and can reach speeds of almost 50 km per hour when in flight.
• They have been around for 300 million years. 
• When first hatched, the larva or nymphs live in the water for around a year. Once they leave the water and begin to fly, they only live for around a month.
• People in Indonesia like to eat them for a snack.
• Having a dragonfly land on your head is considered good luck.
• Watching dragonflies, similar to bird watching, is called oding which comes from the order classification odonata.

There are over 5,000 species of dragonflies. We have come across this fantastic website, that helps you identify the different types of dragon- and damselflies found in South Africa: http://www.dragonflies-id.co.za/