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Sticker of Common sanddragon
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Common sanddragon

Progomphus obscurus

The common sanddragon is a dragonfly. It belongs to the clubtails, a family of dragonflies whose tail is often wider near the end. It zooms over the water hunting for small insects.

Lives in
The eastern United States and southern Ontario in Canada, near water
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting and are no danger to people.
What does it eat?
Like all dragonflies, it catches small flying insects. Its young live in the water and hunt tiny water animals.
For real!Photo of Common sanddragon
Picture by Judy Gallagher. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is one of the clubtail dragonflies, the family called Gomphidae.

2

It lives in the eastern United States and also reaches southern Ontario in Canada.

3

Like every dragonfly, it starts life in the water as a nymph before it climbs out and gets wings.

you asked

Most asked questions about Common sanddragon

?Does the common sanddragon sting?

No. Dragonflies have no sting and are harmless to people.

?Where does the common sanddragon live?

In the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Progomphus obscurus
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Gomphidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Gomphidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Progomphus obscurus (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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More from the same group: Dragonflies and damselflies

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores

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