Top 10 Largest Dragonflies: A Colorful Journey Through Species

Dragonflies are stunning insects that can be seen in a range of vibrant colors. There are more than 7,000 species of them in the world today. Dragonflies are large insects, despite their dainty appearance. Although many now-extinct species dating back to prehistoric times were much bigger, there are still some pretty big ones around now.

Read on to learn about the largest dragonflies on earth today. We have listed them by length, starting with the smallest of the group.

#10: Green-Eyed Hawker

The green-eyed hawker reaches a length of 2.83 inches and is found across Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. Although the green-eyed hawker is not under any threat, it is considered a rare and protected species in the UK, where it is known locally as the Norfolk hawker.

These hawkers have a brown body with a yellow triangular mark on their abdomen and, as the name suggests, have green eyes. Green-eyed hawkers prefer to live in marshlands and near ponds, which is where they lay their eggs. The males often fly around ponds, defending their territory.

#9: Brown Hawker

Brown hawkers are found throughout Europe but are particularly widespread across the UK. They are easily recognized by their appearance, as they have a brown body with bronze wings. Females have a few yellow markings on their abdomen and males have blue and yellow markings.  

Brown hawkers reach lengths of around 2.9 inches and are found in woodland areas. They breed in areas of water that are either still or slow-flowing. These dragonflies are extremely territorial and fiercely defend their territory against any intruders, often by flying backward and forwards.

#8: Common Hawker

The common hawker is widespread across most of Europe and North America and can reach a length of 2.9 inches. Also known as the moorland dragonfly, they are usually found on moors and woodland areas near small pools of water.  

Common hawkers have a stunning appearance with blue spots on their abdomen, although males have a black base color, while females are brown with blue or yellow spots. Female common hawkers sometimes try to avoid mating by diving out of the sky and pretending to die when they see a male.

#7: Common Green Darner

The common green darner is widespread across North America and is also found in the Caribbean, Panama, Tahiti, China, and Japan. Reaching lengths of 3 inches with a wingspan of 3.1 inches, the common green darner is easily identified by its large size and bright green appearance. They are usually found around ponds and lakes where the females lay their eggs in the vegetation surrounding the water.  

Common green darners feed on live prey all the way through their life cycle, with the aquatic nymphs eating tadpoles and small fish. Adult dragonflies eat a range of insects, such as butterflies, bees, and smaller dragonflies.

#6 Emperor Dragonfly

The emperor dragonfly, also known as the blue emperor, is found around ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia. With lengths of around 3.1 inches, emperors are easily identified by their size, color, and abdomen which appears to droop when they are flying.  

Males have a brilliant blue abdomen and a green head, while females are mainly green. Both have a dark stripe down their backs. Emperor dragonflies are known for rarely being still and often even eating their prey while they are flying, including butterflies and other dragonflies.

#5 Golden-Ringed Dragonfly

Found predominantly in the UK and reaching a length of 3.3 inches, the golden-ringed dragonfly is the biggest in the British Isles. With a stunning black and yellow appearance, it is easy to see where these dragonflies get their name from as their yellow markings do indeed look like gold rings.  

Preferring to live near rivers and streams, the much larger female lays her eggs in shallow water where the larvae blend in with the silt on the bottom. Golden-ringed dragonflies are capable of flying at great heights, feeding mainly on small insects.

#4 Swamp Darner

The swamp darner is widespread across North America, often found around swamps and woodland ponds. At first glance, they appear dark brown, but they actually have a number of thin, lime-green rings on their abdomen. With a length of 3.5 inches, they are known to be quite a heavy dragonfly that flies quite slowly.  

The females lay their eggs on wood or leaves near shallow water. When the nymphs hatch, they then crawl into the water. Swamp darners feed on a range of insects and smaller dragonflies, catching their prey as they are flying.

#3 Coastal Petaltail

The coastal petaltail is an endangered species of dragonfly from Australia. It prefers to live in the thick vegetation surrounding swampland. Reaching lengths of around 4 inches, they have a distinctive appearance that makes them easily identifiable. Coastal petaltails have black heads with yellow spots, while their bodies have black and yellow stripes. Males have orange “petaltails” at the end of their bodies to attract females.  

These are particularly unusual dragonflies as, unlike most other species, they lay their eggs in burrows next to a body of water. Their larvae are often at risk from predators, which is one of the reasons why their population is decreasing.

#2 Giant Petaltail

Coming a close second with a length of 4.92 inches is the giant petaltail, which is found in Queensland, Australia. With a black body and yellow markings, they are quite similar in appearance to the coastal petaltail, although males have a black petaltail instead of an orange one.  

Giant petaltails also favor wet and boggy areas such as swamps. Their larvae are commonly called “pit dwellers” because they live in burrows and usually feed on any passing prey that they can catch.

#1 Giant Darner

The giant darner is the largest dragonfly in the world with a length of 5 inches and a wingspan the same. They are easily identifiable by the large blue spots on their bodies, green heads, and clear wings. At first glance, they can appear similar to the common green darner. However, they have a much larger abdomen which often appears to curve upwards.  

They are usually found near ponds, streams, and marshland in southwest America and even as far as Mexico. Giant darners are extremely useful as they eat a wide range of insects that are classified as pests, such as mosquitoes. There is a healthy population of giant darners and they are classed as a species of least concern.