Emperor dragonfly
The emperor dragonfly is one of the biggest dragonflies in Europe. The male is bright blue and green and flies up and down his pond all day like a little helicopter on patrol. He hardly ever lands, and even eats his lunch while flying.
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Fun facts
Its huge eyes cover almost its whole head and can see in nearly every direction at once.
It can fly forwards, backwards and sideways, and hover in one spot.
The baby, called a nymph, lives under water for one or two years before it climbs out and becomes a flying dragonfly.
It uses its six spiky legs like a basket to scoop insects out of the air.
Males guard their pond and chase away other dragonflies that come too close.
Most asked questions about Emperor dragonfly
?Do dragonflies bite or sting?
They have no sting. A large dragonfly can give a small nip with its jaws if you hold it, but it is not dangerous.
?What do dragonflies eat?
Other flying insects, such as flies and mosquitoes. They catch them in the air.
?How fast can a dragonfly fly?
Big dragonflies are some of the fastest insects. They can reach about 50 km/h in a short dash.
Myth buster
Myth: Dragonflies sting.
Truth: They cannot. Dragonflies have no sting at all. The long tail is just a tail.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Anax imperator
- Named by
- Leach, 1815
- Group
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Family
- Aeshnidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Odonata > Aeshnidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
- Also known as
- Blue emperor
Where the facts come from
- Emperor dragonfly (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Quartl. CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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