Dragons and Damsels go through some amazing changes during
their life. As larvae, they are totally aquatic with a body adapted for life underwater.
For the small part of their life as an adult, they change completely in appearance
and are dependent upon flight for their survival. To posses a full understanding
of the life of an insect, it is necessary to know something of its structure (MORPHOLOGY)
and the way in which the various body systems function (PHYSIOLOGY).
The body of a dragonfly is divided up into three different distinct sections, the
head, followed by the thorax and then the abdomen. Each of these three sections
are further divided into segments. Some of these segments are more obvious than
others. Click on the links for a discussion of body parts and their functions.