Page 36 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Damsels in distress

L o r d o f t h e fl i e s Damsels in distress

Males have entirely Small red damselfly
red bodies and
both sexes have Size isn’t everything for these diminutive damselflies

red legs
As one of two red damselfly Another key difference between

species in the UK, the small red the two insects is distribution.

damselfly is sometimes confused While large red damselflies are
with its more abundant big brother, common throughout the UK, small
the large red damselfly. Small red reds are rare, with limited numbers

damselflies are the brighter of in southern England and west

the two, sporting a vibrant all-red Wales. The delicate bugs only fly

abdomen, whereas the large red’s in warm weather, and rarely stray
body is partially black. from their native bogs and streams.
“While large red damselfl ies are
common throughout the UK,
small reds are rare”

Globe skimme
Globe skimmer r

Record-breaking dragonfl ies who migrate further than any other insect
Record-breaking dragonfl ies who migrate further than any other insect
that the globe skimmers follow seasonal
For a long time, it was thought that round trips across the Indian Ocean may rains around the Indian Ocean to breed in
cover 18,000 kilometres (11,000 miles),
monarch butterfl ies were the furthest rain pools, using oceanic winds to glide at
migrating insects, travelling 4,800 trouncing the monarch’s record. altitudes of over 1,000 metres (3,280 feet).
A fl ight path has been tracked from India
kilometres (3,000 miles) from Canada to to Uganda via the Maldives, the Seychelles Globe skimmers are actually capable
Mexico and back each year. and Mozambique, with the dragonfl ies of fl ying even higher than this: they have
been recorded at heights of 6,200 metres
However, biologist Charles Anderson
concluded in 2009 that globe skimmers appearing in the same spots at roughly the (20,000 feet) in the Himalayas.
same time each year. Anderson suggests
can easily beat this distance. Their annual

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