Dragonfly Life Cycle - The Australian Museum

Skip to main content Skip to acknowledgement of country Skip to footer

Click to enlarge image

Dragonflies are insects. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult. Adult dragonflies have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They also have very large eyes.

Dragonflies are insects. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult.

Adult dragonflies have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They also have very large eyes.

Adult dragonflies live near streams, lakes and ponds. The larvae live in streams, lakes and ponds among plants and rocks.

Adult dragonflies eat mainly flying insects. Larvae eat insects in the water, worms, and occasionally tadpoles and small fish.

Fish, turtles, frogs, ducks, herons and larger insects all like to eat dragonflies.

Adult dragonflies breathe by drawing air into special breathing tubes in their bodies. These tubes are called spiracles. Larvae breathe by sucking water into their abdomen and moving it over their internal gills. When they have enough oxygen they push the water out very fast and this helps them move through the water.

When dragonflies breed, the male will attach the back of his abdomen to the female's head and in this position they fly together. They will then find a perch to land on and the male and female mate. The female lays her eggs near or in the water.

Back to top of main content Go back to top of page

Also in this section

• Australian animals unit ScienceEarly Stage 1 – Stage 1
• Urban habitats
• Impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef Video
• Learn how to classify fossils Worksheet
• What are some Australian dinosaurs? Worksheets
• Climate change resources Blogs PodcastsPublications
• Animal adaptations unit ScienceStages 2–3
• Learn how to classify rocks Worksheet
• Make your own climbing spider WorksheetCraft activity
• Whales find-a-word WorksheetCraft activity
• Bugwise Learning factsheets
• Sustainability and climate change learning journey Climate change, GeographyStages 2–3

You may also be interested in...

Butterfly and moth sketches by the Scott family

Examples from a large collection of sketches and drawings created by AW Scott and his daughters to record the appearance, habits and life cycles of the moths and butterflies they were collecting, rearing and classifying.

Discover more

Decomposition: fly life cycle and development times

The presence of insects in a corpse is a critical clue towards estimating the time of death for bodies dead for longer periods of time.

MaggotsFlies species Find out more

Australian Museum Magazine Volume 04 Issue 09

AM Publication Read more

Dragonflies and damselflies - Order Odonata

Dragonflies and damselflies are large, conspicuous insects generally found near freshwater habitats. They are an ancient and successful group that was around long before the dinosaurs evolved.

Discover more

Damselfly life cycle

Damselflies are insects. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult. They have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of long legs. They also have very large eyes.

Discover more

What do dragonflies and damselflies look like?

Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Order Odonata.

Discover more

Gordian Worms

Gordian Worms

Discover more

Australian Museum Magazine Volume 07 Issue 01

AM Publication Read more

Mountain Tigertail dragonfly

Mountain Tigertail dragonfly

Discover more

Diving Beetle life cycle

Diving beetles are insects. They have four stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - pupa - adult. They have a streamlined shape, a pair of thin antennae and three pairs of legs. Their back legs have a thick fringe of swimming hairs.

Discover more

Green and Golden Bell Frog Life cycle

Green and Golden Bell Frogs are amphibians. They have four stages in their life cycle: egg - tadpole - metamorph - adult.

Discover more

Metamorphosis: a remarkable change

Metamorphosis refers to a major change of form or structure during development. One of the most dramatic forms of metamorphosis is the change from the immature insect into the adult form.

Discover more You have reached the end of the main content. Go back to start of main content Go back to top of page Back to top You have reached the end of the page. Thank you for reading. Website Navigation Dialog Modal

• What's On
• AM Shop
• Join & Give

• Visit & Book
  • Plan your Visit
    • What's On Calendar
    • Location & Transport
    • Admission information
    • Food & Dining
    • Access & Inclusion
  • AM Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Members-only events
    • Member login
    • Explore magazine
    • Gift Membership
  • Group Bookings
  • Visitor Guides & Map
  • Museum Shop
• Learn & Connect
  • News & Stories
    • Latest news
    • Read our articles
    • Listen to podcasts
    • Exhibition publications
    • Media Centre
  • Education
    • Education programs
    • School excursions
    • First Nations learning resources
    • Science learning resources
    • History learning resources
  • Culture
    • First Nations cultures and history
    • First Nations Collections
    • Pasifika cultures and history
    • Pasifika Collections
    • World Cultures
    • Cultural Collection Enhancement Project
  • Science
    • Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI®) Submenu
      • Lizard Island Research Station
      • Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics
      • AMRI Seminars and Lectures
      • Collection Care and Conservation
      • Citizen science projects
      • Expeditions and fieldwork
    • Life & Geoscience Collections Submenu
      • Archaeology
      • Arachnology
      • Entomology
      • Herpetology
      • Ichthyology
      • Malacology
      • Mammalogy
      • Marine Invertebrates
      • Mineralogy
      • Ornithology
      • Palaeontology
      • Frozen Tissue
      • AMRI Collection Enhancement Project
    • Learning resources Submenu
      • Australia over time
      • Earth Science
      • Dinosaurs and their relatives
      • Human evolution
      • Biodiversity
      • Education resources
    • Search our Science Journal
    • Australian Museum Eureka Prizes
    • Animal factsheets Submenu
      • Spiders
      • Native frogs
      • Reptiles
      • Worms
      • Molluscs
      • Sea squirts and sea tulips
      • Jellyfish, anemones and corals
      • Mammals
      • Australian Bats
      • Fishes
      • Birds
      • Insects
      • Plankton
      • Sea stars and sea urchins
      • Centipedes and millipedes
      • Crustaceans
      • Dangerous Australian animals
      • Australia’s extinct animals
  • Climate Change
    • Learn about climate change
    • Impacts of climate change
    • Climate change solutions
    • Stories of our changing environment
    • Climate Solutions Centre
• About Us
  • About the Australian Museum
    • Organisation & Governance
    • Australian Museum Collections
    • Archives & Research Library
    • History of the AM
    • Visitor information
  • Support the AM
    • Australian Museum Foundation
    • Donate to the Museum
    • Partnerships
    • Become a Member
  • Venue or Exhibition Hire
    • Venues & Functions
    • Touring Exhibitions
  • Join our Team
    • Staff profiles
    • Work at the Museum
    • Awards & Fellowships
    • Student opportunities
    • Volunteer at the Australian Museum
  • Contact
    • Contact List
    • Ask an Expert
    • Ask an Elder
    • Subscribe to our eNewsletter
    • Search our Website

Close navigation modal Website Search Dialog Modal Search website Submit Search Close search modal

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden

Close modal dialog Close Modal Dialog Close Modal Dialog Close Modal Dialog