Dragonflies are remarkable insects recognized for their striking appearance and impressive aerial maneuvers. These creatures are fascinating to observe and serve a significant role in various ecosystems. Their predatory nature helps maintain ecological balance in both aquatic and terrestrial environments throughout their life stages.
Adult Dragonfly Diet
Adult dragonflies are carnivorous, feeding almost entirely on other flying insects. They are highly opportunistic hunters, preying on a wide range of aerial invertebrates. Common prey includes mosquitoes, flies, midges, moths, butterflies, bees, and beetles. Larger dragonfly species are even known to consume smaller dragonflies or damselflies.
These agile predators are efficient, with a hunting success rate as high as 95%. A single dragonfly can consume up to 20% of its body weight daily. Their voracious appetite makes them valuable natural controllers of insect populations, particularly pests like mosquitoes.
Dragonfly Nymph Diet
Dragonfly nymphs, also called larvae or naiads, inhabit aquatic environments like ponds, lakes, rivers, and wetlands. In this stage, they are formidable underwater predators with a diverse diet. Their primary food sources include mosquito larvae, other aquatic insect larvae, small crustaceans, and various worms.
Larger nymphs are capable of preying on larger aquatic organisms, including tadpoles and small fish. Nymphs are indiscriminate eaters, consuming nearly any living creature smaller than themselves they can overpower. They are integral to aquatic food webs, serving as food for fish and birds while regulating smaller aquatic invertebrate populations.
Hunting Strategies
Adult Hunting
Adult dragonflies use exceptional eyesight and agile flight to capture prey mid-air. Their large, multifaceted compound eyes provide nearly 360-degree vision, enabling them to detect and track even the smallest movements of flying insects. During flight, they form a specialized “basket” with their spiny legs to scoop up insects from the air.
Nymph Hunting
Dragonfly nymphs employ an ambush-style hunting strategy while submerged. They lie in wait on aquatic vegetation or the substrate, camouflaged within their environment. When a meal comes within striking distance, the nymph rapidly extends a unique, hinged lower jaw known as a labium. This extendable appendage, often equipped with hooks or pincers, shoots out and retracts rapidly, snatching prey. The entire capture mechanism can occur in less than 200 milliseconds.