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Sticker of Bar-winged skimmer
Bug card No. 0289 of 4,939

Bar-winged skimmer

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

The bar-winged skimmer is a dragonfly from North America. It belongs to the skimmers, a big family of dragonflies that like to rest on twigs near the water. Like all dragonflies, it zooms around on four see-through wings.

Lives in
North America, near ponds and other still water
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting. Just watch it fly.
What does it eat?
It catches small flying insects in the air. Its babies live under water and hunt there too.
For real!Photo of Bar-winged skimmer
Picture by Judy Gallagher. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Scientists say it is not in danger, and the number of them is staying the same.

2

Like all dragonflies, it starts life under water and only later climbs out and gets wings.

3

Its family is called the skimmers, because they skim low over the water.

you asked

Most asked questions about Bar-winged skimmer

?Is the bar-winged skimmer dangerous?

No. Dragonflies have no sting and do not hurt people.

?What does the bar-winged skimmer eat?

Small flying insects that it catches in the air.

For bug experts

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

Where the facts come from

  1. Libellula axilena (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 Judy Gallagher. 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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