Spreadwing damselfly (Family Lestidae) sitting on a stalk. The damselfly is a primitive flying insect, similar to the dragonfly but smaller, measuring

---

Spreadwing damselfly (Family Lestidae) sitting on a stalk. The damselfly is a primitive flying insect, similar to the dragonfly but smaller, measuring between three and five centimetres in length. The spreadwing gets its name from the way its wings spread out when it is resting. The spreadwing is a carnivorous predator that often catches its prey, small insects, in-flight. On either side of its head are two large compound eyes (blue), which give the spreadwing a wide field of vision. The spreadwing spends the majority of its life as a larva in ponds or streams, hunting aquatic insects. Photographed in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.

---

Size: 5261px × 3500px
Photo credit: © PETER CHADWICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: africa, african, animal, camelopardalis, giraffa, giraffe, mammal, nature, ndumo, resting, sitting, south, wildlife, zoology