Dragonfly

insects · flying · ponds

Giant eyes. Each compound eye has nearly 24,000 tiny lenses called ommatidia, giving the dragonfly nearly all-around vision.

Four strong wings. Dragonflies have two pairs of transparent wings, sometimes with colored patches, that help them zip and hover through the air.

Shiny colors. Many dragonflies sparkle with iridescent or metallic colors made by the structure of their bodies, not paint-like pigment.

Thousands of kinds. About 3,000 species of dragonflies exist, with most living in warm tropical places and fewer in cooler regions.

Wetland friends. Dragonflies need wetlands to live, so the loss of these watery habitats threatens them around the world.