Adult dragonflies are long, comparatively slim-bodied insects with two pairs of wings. During the Upper Carboniferous period a giant, dragonflylike insect, Meganeura, had a wingspan of up to 70 cm/28 in. After mating, the female dragonfly lays her egg on a submerged plant stem, in mud, or directly into the water. The egg hatches into a nymph that takes about a year to mature; it is a voracious predator that will even attack small fishes.
(Image © Helicon)