health
‘Fearless and quietly astonishing’: the dragonfly that migrates further than any other insect
Wandering gliders are descended from some of the earliest known insects – and breed as one global population
TL;DR
- The wandering glider is found on every continent except Antarctica.
- Its larvae can develop in as little as 38 days.
- It undertakes the longest known insect migration, up to 18,000km across generations.
- Some individuals cross 3,500km of open ocean.
- Genetic studies show wandering gliders interbreed as one global population.
- The species is descended from some of the earliest winged insects, griffin flies, which evolved around 317 million years ago.