Globe skimmer dragonflies are only about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long, but they migrate more than 11,000 miles (more than 17,700 km) back and forth across the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. They are thought to be the most widely distributed dragonfly in the world and are the highest-flying dragonfly in the world, having been recorded flying in the Himalayas at heights of 20,300 feet (almost 6,200 m).
More facts about dragonflies:
- Globe skimmer dragonflies can lay as many as 2,000 eggs at a time. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on shrimp, tadpoles and even small fish.
- Dragonflies are extremely effective hunters. In fact, one experiment found that they can catch 90 to 95 percent of food that is released into an enclosure. Dragonflies catch food while they're flying, and they do so by grabbing the food with their feet.
- Dragonflies can fly at speeds as fast as 35 mph (about 56 km/hr), but they normally cruise at slower speeds.