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Sticker of Golden-winged skimmer
Bug card No. 1958 of 4,939

Golden-winged skimmer

Libellula auripennis
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The golden-winged skimmer is a dragonfly from North America. Its name tells you about its golden-coloured wings. It belongs to the skimmers, dragonflies that patrol over ponds and rest on stems.

Lives in
North America, near ponds and lakes
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting and do not hurt people.
What does it eat?
It catches small flying insects in the air. Its babies live under water and hunt tiny water animals.
For real!Photo of Golden-winged skimmer
Picture by xpda. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its baby, called a nymph, lives under water before it climbs out and becomes a flying dragonfly.

2

There are plenty of golden-winged skimmers, and their number is staying steady.

3

Its huge eyes help it spot flying insects from far away.

you asked

Most asked questions about Golden-winged skimmer

?Is the golden-winged skimmer dangerous?

No. It has no sting and does not bite people.

?Where does the golden-winged skimmer live?

In North America, near water.

For bug experts

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

Where the facts come from

  1. Libellula auripennis (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 xpda. CC BY-SA 4.0, 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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