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Wandering Glider Dragonfly — printable fact sheet
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Wandering Glider Dragonfly
Pantala flavescens
The wandering glider (Pantala flavescens), also called the globe skimmer, makes the longest migration of any insect. Individuals cross the open Indian Ocean between India, the Maldives, the Seychelles and East Africa, and the full multi-generational circuit is estimated at 14,00…
Did you know?
- The Wandering Glider holds the record for the longest known migration of any insect, traveling distances up to 18,000 kilometers.
- Its multi-generational migration across the Indian Ocean covers a longer distance than the monarch butterfly's, making it the longest of any insect. Wandering gliders from Texas and from India are genetically nearly identical, meaning the whole world holds effectively one population. It glides on thermals rather than flapping, and its broad hindwings give it the lowest energy cost of flight of any dragonfly. It has been recorded flying over the Himalayas at around 6,200 metres.
What I learned
Draw the wandering glider dragonfly
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