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Sticker of Swift setwing
Bug card No. 4260 of 4,939

Swift setwing

Dythemis velox
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The swift setwing is a dragonfly that lives in North and Central America. It belongs to the skimmers, a big family of dragonflies that often zoom low over the water. Like all dragonflies, it has four wings and big eyes.

Lives in
North and Central America, near water
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting.
What does it eat?
It catches small flying insects in the air. Its babies live in the water and hunt tiny water animals.
For real!Photo of Swift setwing
Picture by pondhawk. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It belongs to the skimmer family, which has some of the most common dragonflies.

2

There are plenty of swift setwings, and their numbers are even growing.

3

Its babies grow up under water and later climb out to become flying dragonflies.

you asked

Most asked questions about Swift setwing

?Is the swift setwing dangerous?

No. It is a dragonfly, and dragonflies have no sting.

?Where does the swift setwing live?

In North and Central America, near water.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Dythemis velox
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Dythemis velox (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by pondhawk. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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