Dragonflies are incredibly efficient hunters.<br /><br />Dragonflies are impeccable hunters, catching more than 95 percent of their targeted prey. <br /> Scientists are studying them to gain an understanding of their amazing hunting abilities. <br /><br /> They have an immense appetite, according to a Harvard study by Doctor Stacey Combes, one dragonfly ate 30 flies in a row and would have kept eating.<br /><br /> Dragonflies can track their prey using their highly developed brain, eyes and wings.<br /><br /> They can anticipate the trajectory of their moving target and adjust their own flight path quickly to make sure the prey is caught.<br /><br /> Combes said: “Before I got into this work, I’d assumed it was an active chase…But it’s more like ambush predation. The dragonfly comes from behind and below, and the prey doesn’t know what’s coming.” <br /><br /> Although most flying insects are disliked by humans, the dragonfly is different.<br /><br /> They eat pesky mosquitoes, and some can eat hundreds of mosquitoes a day. <br /><br /> Dragonflies can fly at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
