WHEN the topic of hunters in the animal kingdom arises, one would immediately think of animals such cheetahs, lions and wolves.
But is it true that the dragonfly is the deadliest hunter in nature?
Verdict:
True
The dragonfly may look fragile and is an insect most people generally say looks nice. However, it is a deadly predator and possibly the most effective hunter on Earth.
According to experts at Sandia National Laboratories, the dragonfly catches its prey 95% of the time.
This is much higher compared to animals like cheetahs, lions and wolves, which only have a successful kill rate of only 58%, 25% and 14% respectively.
The dragonfly owes its high rate of success to its acute sense of awareness. When it attacks, it does not just react to its prey's movement – it knows exactly where it is and even where it is expected to move.
Studies have shown that a dragonfly’s reaction time is a mere 50 milliseconds – in comparison, it takes a human about 300 milliseconds to blink.
Also fascinating is the dragonfly's astounding top speed of up to 55kph and its ability to cruise along at about 16kph.
The dragonfly operates with such precision that it is being used as a model for improving missile defence systems.
