Dragonfly

True Wild Life | Dragonfly | The dragonfly is large predatory insect generally found around watery areas in both the North and South Hemispheres. The dragonfly is very similar to a damselfly but the wings on the adults are considerably different. The dragonfly is found hovering near lakes and swamps as the dragonfly larvae (the nymph/baby) is aquatic. The dragonfly nymph is capable of producing a painful bite for humans, where the adult dragonfly poses no threat.

The dragonfly is best known for its beautiful colours and the way it's body and wings sparkle when the dragonfly is flying around the water. Dragonflies have long, thin and generally colourful bodies, large eyes and two pairs of transparent wings. As with other species of insect, the dragonfly also has six legs but it is unable to walk on solid ground. In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions which are upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side.

Both the dragonfly and it's larvae are carnivorous animals and they feed exclusively on other small animals. The main prey of the dragonfly are mosquitoes, flies, bees and other small invertebrates. The dragonfly larvae feeds mainly on aquatic insects and their eggs. The dragonfly is preyed upon by a number of predators around the world including birds, fish and reptiles such as lizards. The dragonfly is also commonly eaten by amphibians such as toads, frogs and large newts.

Female dragonflies lay their eggs in or near water, often on floating or emergent plants. The dragonfly eggs then hatch into nymphs. which is how most of the dragonfly's life is spent. The dragonfly nymphs live beneath the water's surface, using extendible jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. When the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant. Exposure to air causes the larva to begin breathing. The skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, pumps up its wings, and flies off to feed on midges and flies.

Mayfly

 

True Wild Life | Mayfly | The mayfly is medium-sized insect that is found in a variety of habitats all around the world. The mayfly is one of the most short-lived animals in the world and is most closely related to dragonflies and damselflies. There are 2,500 known species of mayfly generally found close to water, all around the world with over 600 species of mayfly natively found in North America. Mayflies are extremely sensitive to pollution and can therefore only be found close to water that is of a high quality.

Mayflies have long narrow bodies and large wings, with a second set of smaller hind wings behind them (in a similar way to butterflies and moths). This allows the mayfly to have greater agility and power when it is in the air. Adult mayflies tend to be herbivorous only really surviving on algae although there are a number of known mayfly species that prey on other insects. The adult mayfly has a very short lifespan which can be anywhere from to half an hour to a few weeks long.

The adult mayflies have a number of predators out of the water including amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts, small reptiles, birds and even rodents and mammals. However, the aquatic longer-lived mayfly nymphs too have predators including fish and amphibians. The female mayfly can lays thousands of eggs at time which she does so into the water. The mayfly nymph are aquatic and hatch in the water where they can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year to transform into an adult mayfly and head into the air.