Dragonfly, both as a nymph and adult, is the terror of the ponds, where it captures all kind of insects.
Dragonfly nymphs are ferocious and voracious predators, catching anything that moves with their projectile lower jaw which they extend at supersonic speed: they are the terror of the ponds.
Adult dragonflies are also active hunters that catch all kinds of insects on the wing, including their own species.
While flying adult dragonflies have a lifespan of between 8 and 60 days, some species may spend the first six years of their lives underwater as nymphs.
Fierce dragonfly nymphs detect their victims by movement: when close enough, they shoot out their retractable lower jaw in an explosive and accurate attack.
Feeding voraciously on all types of larvae, tadpoles and aquatic insects, they can reach up to 5cm, shedding and regrowing their exoskeleton more than 15 times before emerging from the surface and to become a flying insect.
These efficient predators help control the populations of other land and aquatic insects whose incubation period takes place in water.