They’re acrobatic fliers with long bodies and veined wings and their babies breathe through their butts: dragonflies. Let’s get into the difference between a damselfly and dragonfly, how fast they dart around, how big they were in the age of the dinosaurs, sci-fi aviation inspiration, mating choreography, attracting them to your yard (maybe to eat them) and lots more with scholar, American Museum of Natural History curator, and dragonfly expert: Dr. Jessica Ware. Visit Dr. Ware’s website and follow her on Google Scholar, Instagram and X Buy Jessica’s children’s book, Bugs (A Day in the Life): What Do Bees, Ants, and Dragonflies Get up to All Day?, on Amazon or Bookshop.org A donation went to the World Dragonfly Association More episode sources and links Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes Other episodes you may enjoy: Entomology (INSECTS), Lepidopterology (BUTTERFLIES), Cicadology (CICADAS), Sparklebuttology (FIREFLIES), Dipterology (FLIES), Entomophagy Anthropology (EATING BUGS), Plumology (FEATHERS), Melaninology (SKIN/HAIR PIGMENT), Ophthalmology (EYES) Sponsors of Ologies Transcripts and bleeped episodes Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes! Follow @Ologies on Instagram and X Follow @AlieWard on Instagram and X Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jacob Chaffee Managing Director: Susan Hale Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth Transcripts by Aveline Malek Website by Kelly R. Dwyer Theme song by Nick Thorburn