Why do dragonflies fly faster and farther than other insects

Dragonfly wings have two special structures: wing knots and wing moles, which make it an excellent flier in nature. In the study of mechanics, it is found that the dragonfly's wings will be affected by horizontal force, vertical force, moment, bending and movement when flapping and turning in the air, and it is found that the slow flight of dragonfly is very similar to that of an airplane.

The research methods of flight mechanics of dragonfly wings are also constantly improving, from tying with ropes to shooting with high-speed cameras and then observing in wind tunnels. More and more advanced methods make the study of dragonfly flight mechanics deeper.

Dragonflies like wet environment, so they usually fly in ponds or rivers, and their larvae (larvae) also need to develop in water.

Odonata is a semi-metamorphosed insect, which has only three stages in its life: egg, larva and adult. Adults often lay eggs in water by skimming. Larvae, also known as hydra, preys on other aquatic organisms in the water, climbs out of the water before emergence, mates and lays eggs, and completes its life history.

Some kinds of female dragonflies will use an extreme strategy to avoid unwanted suitors: they will fall from the sky and pretend to be dead.

Dragonflies not only prey on other insects, but also have the habit of adults eating each other among species. When they prey, they will catch their prey fiercely, and there are a lot of coarse hairs on their feet, which can help them catch their prey and make it impossible to escape. The mouth is also quite developed, it can bite prey, facilitate eating, and can eat up food equivalent to its own weight within 30 minutes.

Extended data:

Bionic camera is a compound eye camera made by imitating the unique structural principle of dragonfly compound eye, which can take thousands of repeated photos at a time. Dragonflies can fly forward, backward and left and right under a small thrust, and the vibration of their wings can produce whirlpools and hold up their bodies. It is of great significance to study the flight mechanism of dragonflies for the design and manufacture of aircraft.

The leading edge of dragonfly wings has a wing nevus formed by keratin thickening, which can eliminate the vibration of wings during flight. The aircraft designer added a counterweight to each wing of the aircraft to prevent the wing from breaking due to violent vibration.

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