Dragonfly Larvae Prey Capture

Dave Kirkeby
Dave Kirkeby
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Published 2015-04-11
Dragonfly larvae capture a variety of prey using their unique version of a labium. The prey include daphnias, mosquito larvae, and a tadpole. The captures are shown in slow motion. The larvae are probably neon skimmer (Libellula croceipennis) larvae.

Thanks to Steve whose creative ideas about how to get some of these shots made this video possible
All Comments (11)
  • @davefoc
    Many of the dragonfly larvae shown in the video have transformed into adult dragonflies. The larvae were neon skimmers for sure, based on the appearance of the adults. Link to a couple of images of the adults: tinyurl.com/mcrosdg  tinyurl.com/n4wth32
  • @AsifAAli
    Looks like it's wearing a burqa until an insect passes by. 😂
  • @TotalAnarchy27
    do you know the speed of the mouth from non-extended to extended in terms of mph? Im guessing its a couple hundred or close to it.
  • @TheDodo
    This video is crazy! I’m an editor for The Dodo - we’re a digital brand for everyone who loves animals. We’d like to include a portion of your video (with an onscreen credit to you) in a compilation I’m making to run across our platforms. Please get in touch if you have any objections or questions - you can contact me directly at [email protected]. Thanks! - Ryan