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Dragonfly
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Classification: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Arthropoda (arthropods); Class Insecta (insects); Order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies); Suborder Anisoptera (dragonflies), many families, including Family Libellulidae (skimmers or pond dragonflies).
The dragonfly is a flying insect that can hover in mid-air. It eats other insects, catching them while it is flying. There are many different species of dragonflies, and most of them are found near water. The earliest dragonflies appeared over 300 million years ago.
Like all insects, the dragonfly has a three-part body: a head, a thorax, and a long, thin, segmented abdomen. The dragonfly has 2 large compound eyes that take up most of the head. On the short thorax there are three pairs of jointed legs and two pairs of long, delicate, membranous wings. The dragonfly breathes through spiracles (tiny holes in the abdomen).
Life cycle: A dragonfly undergoes incomplete metamorphosis. The larva hatches from an egg which is laid in water, in plants near water, or even underwater. As this aquatic (living in the water) larva (called a nymph) grows, it molts (loses its old skin) many times. When fully-grown, it emerges from the water, using the claws on its feet to crawl onto a plant. The dragonfly flies away over land. It only returns to the water to reproduce and continue this cycle. The life span ranges from about 6 months to over 7 years (most of it is spent in the nymph stage - the adult lives for only a few weeks).
Panasonic FZ-20 : macro mod. In PSP flter / sharp / and crop ! |
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Hello Jerolim :-)
Great photo!
I made the same dragonfly and posted it yesterday but your note is more interesting!
Thanks for that!
- bobair
(5100) - [2007-01-04 20:02]
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Hello Jerolim ,I too like dragonflies,however you have taken a picture of a damselfly an easy mistake to make.As for this picture it could have benefited with an increase in the f-stop number say f8 or f9 as it looks a little washed out,however I like it just the same,keep on shooting.