Who eats who?

Dragonflies are an important part of the food web in wetland ecosystems. As larva, they are ambush predators, eating many things, including other insect larvae, tadpoles and small fish. They are also prey, feeding larger aquatic wildlife like fish.

Dragonfly adults typically catch their prey while flying by grasping them with their legs. Various flies make up much of their diet, and they’ll eat each other, too. They are also capable of eating species larger than themselves. There is even evidence of a dragonfly eating a hummingbird.

Many predator-prey connections are well-known, like some of those listed above. Others may surprise you. Try our Who Eats Who wetland wildlife quiz to test your knowledge (and maybe learn something new)!

dragonfly being eaten by sparrows
A dragonfly being eaten by swallows, captured by anonymous_ebirder.