Dragonflies, the flying kings of nature, why can we no longer see them flying in the sky?

When I was a child, there was one activity that was indispensable in the summer, and that was catching dragonflies. The dragonflies flying in the sky could be said to be an iconic sight in the summer.

However, I don't know when this scene started, but I can no longer see it. Although dragonflies are not completely extinct, you can only occasionally see one or two by the river or in the grass. They no longer have the ability to gather in groups. This phenomenon is actually a bit puzzling. Has the environment around us really changed so much? Even if there are some changes, how can it have such a huge impact on the number of dragonflies? You know, dragonflies are the kings of the water when they are larvae, and they are the flying kings of the sky when they become adults. How can such a powerful insect have a sudden decrease in number?

The larvae of dragonflies are called water scorpions. The larvae of most insects are very weak, but water scorpions are different. They are very powerful. When the size is similar, they are almost invincible in the water.

The water scorpion is a pure carnivorous larvae. Whether it is small insects in the water, small fish and shrimps, or even ferocious tadpoles, they are all in the water scorpion's diet. When the water scorpion finds its prey, it will suddenly pop out an organ called the "face cover" under its head, clamp the prey, and then put it into its mouth. The whole process is very similar to the aliens in science fiction movies.

The dragonfly's larvae, the water scorpion, do not have many rivals in the water, and when it reaches the adult stage, not many creatures can threaten its life, because the dragonfly is the undisputed flying king in nature.

The dragonfly is a beautiful insect, and its most beautiful part is its crystal clear wings. These wings are very special, with the triple properties of water repellency, oil repellency and dust repellency, so they are not afraid of stains or rain. Unlike most flying creatures, the dragonfly has four wings, and they are four wings in the true sense. Each wing is controlled by independent muscles, which means that they can make different movements independently.

This makes the dragonfly's flight very strange.

They can hover in the air, or quickly switch from hovering to high-speed movement. They can move horizontally in all directions without turning around, and can also make an unreasonable sharp turn in the air. This superb flying skill gives dragonflies the highest hunting success rate among all other species. We know that the hunting champion on land is the cheetah, and its hunting success rate is only about 30%, while that of dragonflies can reach 95%. In summary, dragonflies have unique survival advantages in both the larval and adult stages. Why has the number of such a powerful insect declined drastically?

The decline in dragonfly populations is closely related to human activities.

First of all, the biggest impacts on the number of dragonflies are air pollution and water pollution, among which water pollution is the main factor. With the increase in human material needs and the change in agricultural production methods, a large amount of fertilizers and pesticides are used in daily agricultural production, and these fertilizers and pesticides will eventually spread to the surrounding water bodies, causing water pollution, which greatly affects the survival of dragonfly larvae. It should be noted that dragonflies spend 95% of their lives in water, so water pollution naturally becomes the most important factor in the sharp decline in the number of dragonflies.

Secondly, the dragonfly’s habitat has been destroyed.

Due to the continuous expansion of human activities and the acceleration of urbanization, the habitat suitable for dragonflies has also decreased, which greatly limits their activities and reproduction ability. Moreover, it is not only the dragonflies that have their habitats destroyed. The number of many other insects has also dropped sharply, which has also led to a reduction in the food source of dragonflies, further affecting their survival. Finally, climate change caused by human activities has also contributed to the decrease in the number of dragonflies to a certain extent. Dragonflies are not only beautiful and powerful insects, but they are also of great significance to environmental protection, because the reproduction of dragonflies has certain requirements for water quality. The number of dragonflies is of reference significance to the monitoring of water environment to a certain extent, so we need to work harder on protecting the environment.