"I've seen a horse fly and a house fly - I've even seen a carrot fly, but up until this day I've never seen a dragonfly before"
Basic Information
A Dragonfly is a type of winged, predatory insect, usually found close to bodies of water in which its larval form lives. They are generally fast, powerful flyers distinguished by their darting movements. The larvae are wingless but otherwise similar to the adults and are agressive hunters in their own right.
Like most modern insects they are limited in size by their ability to exchange oxygen and so only tend to grow to 4" to 6" long with a similar wingspan but the fossil record contains examples several feet in length.
The closely related damselfly is similar to a dragonfly in most particulars but rests with its wings folded "fore and aft" whilst the dragonfly's wings point to the sides even at rest.
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Game and Story Use
- Thanks to their ability to hover, they are an inspiration for ornithopters. Settings in which ornithopters work might stylize them deliberately after the form of dragonflies.