Wandering Glider dragonfly: The champion that rides the monsoon

The wandering glider is a small dragonfly, but it may be one of the greatest travellers on Earth. It lives all over the world's warm regions and can ride the monsoon winds across oceans, carrying a route from generation to generation. Let's meet this "airborne hunter".

Its body

A dragonfly's wings are unusual: each of its four wings is driven by its own set of flight muscles rather than stirred as one whole wing. That lets it hover, fly backwards, and make hairpin turns — nimble as a tiny helicopter. Its huge compound eyes cover most of its head and can catch the fastest, slightest movement.

Its nymph (called a "water monster" in Chinese) lives underwater and hunts with a hinged lower lip that shoots out like a spear gun. Only when it climbs out of the water and moults does it grow wings and become a flying dragonfly.

Where it lives and what it eats

The wandering glider is a meat-eater, catching mosquitoes, flies and other small flying insects. Thanks to its superb flight, its hunting success is astonishingly high. It patrols along rivers and clearings, darting out the moment it spots prey.

How it migrates

Studies link its populations between Africa and India, riding the monsoon across the Indian Ocean. Because one dragonfly cannot fly the whole way, the journey is shared by successive generations — each one flying a leg and passing the route on. That is a rare feat among insects.

A note for grown-ups

You could watch a resting dragonfly together with a child: its four wings lie flat, like four little transparent windows. Ask "why do you think it can stay so steady in the air?" Starting from observation is a lovely way to get to know insects.