Posted on 07/14/2009 8:49:34 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Every year, millions of dragonflies fly thousands of kilometres across the sea from southern India to Africa.
So says a biologist in the Maldives, who claims to have discovered the longest migration of any insect.
If confirmed, the mass exodus would be the first known insect migration across open ocean water.
It would also dwarf the famous trip taken each year by Monarch butterflies, which fly just half the distance across the Americas.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Wow, them flys ain’t dragin.
Are any of them carrying coconuts?
Oh, wait, those are swallows...
Is this about Democrats in Congress???
and all along I thought it was Nancy Pelosi’s military flight from San Fran to Andrews AFB.....
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“...the dragonflies take advantage of the moving weather systems and monsoon rains to complete an epic migration from southern India to east and southern Africa, and then likely back again, a round trip of 14,000 to 18,000km.
“The species involved breeds in temporary rainwater pools. So it is following the rains, taking sequential advantage of the monsoon rains of India, the short rains of East Africa, the summer rains of southern Africa, the long rains of East Africa, and then back to India for the next monsoon,” says Anderson.
“It may seem remarkable that such a massive migration has gone unnoticed until now. But this just illustrates how little we still know about the natural world.”
The monarch butterfly is often cited as having the longest migration of any insect, covering around 7000km in an annual round trip from Mexico to southern Canada.
On average, it takes four generations of butterflies to complete the journey.
Anderson believes that the dragonflies survive the ocean flights by gliding on the winds, feeding on other small insects.
They too, take four generations to make the full round trip each year.
Extraordinary ability
“There are earlier records of swarms of Globe skimmers flying out to sea, and at sea,” Anderson continues.
“But it was always assumed that those dragonflies were doomed. Which says rather more about our earth-bound lack of imagination than it does about the globe skimmers’ extraordinary flying abilities.”
And the African variety are non-migratory.
LOL... I didn’t get it at first.
Then I looked a little closer. Ack!
Thank you, I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip the waitress...
Knowing dragonflies, feeding on each other, too...
I’ve had a huge explosion of dragonflies on my property this year (NorCal). Can’t go outside without being dive bombed by dozens of the creatures. They are beautiful and seem particularly colorful this year.
Remember the guy selling the tea kettle on eBay and his reflected image caused this meme spectacular? It’s from that. ;-D
But first, they sold out Shea Stadium.
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