Previously in a post a few days ago I mentioned my trip to a settlement, in a hilly area in my area. On the way, I found several red dragonflies flying in the thickets of the area.
I call it a red dragonfly because the color of the dragonfly's body is dominated by red. After I did a simple research on an internet search engine, I just found out that the dragonfly is also known as Neurothemis fluctuans.
A study conducted by scientists at Rutgers University in the United States said, the dragonflies are the most powerful predators in the animal kingdom. These winged insects are very voracious aerial predators. From that research, dragonflies are known to be both brutal and effective hunters. Scientists even noted, dragonflies managed to catch 95 percent of prey. Far above the lions and white sharks.
Dragonflies also often eat their prey while flying in the air. These animals do not need to spend time perched on leaves or trees, so after they finish devouring food, the dragonfly returns to hunting for prey.
Dragonfly's favorite food is mosquitoes. As aerial predators, dragonflies are known for their maneuverability due to their four ultra-flexible transparent wings.
These arthropods are also capable of intercepting prey and predicting the flight direction of prey insects. These insects are also able to predict the angle and speed of prey, are able to hover in the air, dive in water, fly backwards and upside down, rotate 360 degrees with three flaps of wings, and can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. An extraordinary gift for the little animal.
Humans imitate the structure and abilities of dragonflies in the form of helicopters. Although it is not close to 100 percent of the ability of a dragonfly, the most advanced helicopters currently have 50 percent of the skills of the transparent winged insect.
Well, after reading all the research results, I am increasingly admiring the dragonflies that often fly in our environment. Moreover, dragonflies are natural predators for mosquitoes, the animals that make me suffer the most because they often suck blood and cause allergies to the skin.
I really regret not having a macro camera lens to shoot the red dragonfly. I only used a Nikon D300s camera with an AF NIKKOR 18-200mm lens to shoot these tiny animals.
How about you?