Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) lives in open savanna across Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, North America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Wandering Glider
- They make an annual multigenerational journey of some 18,000 km (about 11,200 miles); to complete the migration, individual globe skimmers fly more than 6,000 km (3,730 miles); one of the farthest known migrations of all insect species. The insects, which flight at altitudes up to 6,300 meters (20,475 feet), end up as far south as Mozambique, in Southern Africa, before returning to India, a round trip of 14,000 to 18,000 km.
- It is the highest-flying dragonfly, recorded at 6,200 m in the Himalayas. The insects, which flight at altitudes up to 6,300 meters (20,475 feet), use these lofty lanes to cross the Indian Ocean, a strategy that lets them travel thousands of kilometres without stopping.
- A single female can lay a miniature army of future hunters. A clutch consists of about 500 to 2000 eggs, each spheroid with the semi-major axis 0.5 mm and 0.4 mm at the smallest points, allowing rapid packing into water bodies. The larvae develop within 38 to 65 days, which allows this migrant dragonfly to reproduce in temporary waters or even in swimming pools, ensuring the species can exploit fleeting rain-puddles across its migratory route.
- Built for speed and size, the globe skimmer cuts through the sky like a tiny jet. The dragonfly is up to 4.5 cm long, reaching wingspans between 7.2 cm and 8.4 cm, giving it a broad wing platform. Their flight speed is up to 5 m/s, and swarms can form a "cloud" covering 34 km², turning fields and playgrounds into moving seas of insects.
- Pantala flavescens is the planet's most ubiquitous dragonfly, a true global citizen. It is considered to be the most widespread dragonfly on the planet, with good populations on every continent except Antarctica, although rare in Europe. It is the only Odonata on Easter Island, showing its ability to colonise isolated lands. According to recent research carried out by biologists at Rutgers University-Newark this species of dragonfly is the world's longest known distance insect traveller, revealing a near-global panmictic gene pool that blurs regional boundaries.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, North America
HabitatOpen savanna
DietInsects and plankton
About the Wandering Glider
As the sun beats down upon the tranquil waters, a fleeting silhouette dances across the sky, the Wandering Glider, a dragonfly of unyielding nomadic spirit, embarks on an odyssey of unparalleled scope, traversing vast expanses of land and sea with an effortless elegance. With wings a blur of iridescent blue and yellow, this diminutive marvel navigates the thermals and trade winds, a master of the air, driven by an insatiable impulse to explore and discover. As it soars, its path unfolding like a shimmering thread, the Wandering Glider weaves a testament to the boundless resilience and wanderlust that defines its very existence.
Hear the Wandering Glider, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
More insects and spiders to discover
