Feeding
 Dragonflies and damselflies are some of the best hunters in the insect
world. Their powerful, acrobatic flight enables them to catch
many small insects. Nearly all of their hunting is done on the wing.
Dragonflies rely heavily on their compound eyes for capturing their food. They use
their spiny legs to form a basket which helps trap the prey. The
mandibles are used to tear it apart and then devour it. The dragonfly has an
enormous appetite and will eat almost anything including mosquitoes, gnats,
and on occasion, other dragonflies. In only a few hours the dragonfly
can eat its weight in prey.
Dragonflies find their prey
in several ways. Flyers such as the Emeralds and Darners patrol a limited area
where food is available. They may
cruise at various heights while feeding along the way. Often they gather
in swarms at favorable locations. Skimmers and Clubtails perch and wait for an
insect to fly near them. When the prey gets within reach, they dart after
it and catch it. The feeding behaviors of dragonflies and damselflies are dictated
by the ability to locate food and select what to eat.
 Competition for prey
in a given area is reduced by selection size among the species. Petaltails
and clubtails eat fairly large prey while darners and spiketails take on medium size prey and
cruisers, emeralds, and skimmers prefer smaller prey. Most odonates prefer to take only moving prey but will
eat almost anything put in their mouths. If captured and left with no
food, they may even resort to dining on the end of their own abdomen.
Feeding behaviors are limited by feeding opportunities, environmental
factors, metabolism, and influences of competing activities, such as mating and
egg laying. Food intake is generally decreased during the breeding
season, because more energy is spend on breeding. Feeding behaviors
affected by seasonal changes are sex and time of day.
In contrast, larvae are generally sit-and-wait predators,
although there are a few
species where the larvae actively seek prey by climbing on and
through vegetation. Larvae will basically eat almost anything, including small tadpoles and fish.
Dragonflies drink by thrusting their bodies down onto the
water's surface in a sequence of one to three dips. Water is absorbed through
the exoskeleton. Dew is also absorbed on cool mornings.
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