White-tailed skimmer
Orthetrum albistylum
The white-tailed skimmer is a dragonfly named for the white tip at the end of its tail. It lives from southern Europe all the way to China and Japan. Lately it has been moving north and has reached the Baltic Sea.
Lives in
Central and southern Europe across Asia to China and Japan, near ponds and lakes
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting. A big one may nip if you hold it, so just watch it fly.
What does it eat?
It catches flying insects. Its babies live under water and hunt small water animals.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
White-tailed skimmer about 40 km/h (25 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It recently spread north to the Baltic Sea coast in Poland.
2
In many places it is common, but in others it is found only here and there.
3
Water pollution from farm fields is one of the dangers to the places where it lives.
you asked
Most asked questions about White-tailed skimmer
?Where does the white-tailed skimmer live?
From central and southern Europe to China and Japan, near still water.
?Is the white-tailed skimmer dangerous?
No. Dragonflies have no sting and are harmless.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Orthetrum albistylum
- Group
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Family
- Libellulidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Orthetrum albistylum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Charles J. Sharp. 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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