How big was Meganeura actually? It surprisingly had this many eyes

We all know dragonflies, insects that fly by ponds or rivers, and there is an insect called Meganeura, said to be the largest insect species that has ever appeared on Earth. So, how big was Meganeura?

1. How big was Meganeura?

1. Meganeura, also known as the giant griffinfly, is an insect from the Carboniferous Period 300 million years ago. In appearance it is close to modern dragonflies, but it went extinct as early as the Permian Period 250 million years ago. Its fossil was discovered in France in 1880.

2. Meganeura is the largest insect species known to have ever appeared on Earth. Its wings spread to a span of 2.5 feet (75 cm), while an ordinary dragonfly's wingspan can reach 16 cm, and the smallest species has a wingspan of 2 cm. By comparison, it is clear that Meganeura was enormous, and scientists believe that the reason it could grow to such a huge size during the Carboniferous Period was the higher oxygen content in the air at that time.

3. Because of its enormous size, Meganeura preyed heavily on insects and small amphibians, and had almost no natural enemies, while ordinary dragonfly larvae prey on mosquito larvae or other small animals in the water, and the adults prey on pests such as mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths and bees. But this overlord of the air eventually went extinct, possibly because of a drop in oxygen content, since they could not adapt to the environment at that time, which finally led to their extinction.

2. How many eyes does a dragonfly have?

1. The dragonfly is the insect with the most eyes in the world. Its eyes are large and bulging, occupying most of its head, with three simple eyes, and its compound eyes are made up of about more than 28,000 small eyes; although humans can see a colorful world made up of red, blue and green, dragonflies have up to 33 different light-sensitive proteins and may see more colors than humans.

2. Dragonflies are the winged insects with the best eyesight in the animal kingdom. Their vision is excellent, and they can also look up, down, forward and backward without turning their heads. Their compound eyes can also measure speed: when an object moves in front of the compound eyes, each “small eye” responds in turn, and after processing, the speed of the target object can be determined.

3. How many pairs of wings and how many legs does a dragonfly have?

1. A dragonfly has two pairs of wings. The front and hind wings are equal in length and narrow, membranous, with extremely clear reticulated veins, and the wingspan is generally 5 cm. As an outstanding flyer in the insect kingdom, a dragonfly must beat its wings 30 to 50 times per second when flying at high speed, and can reach 10 m per second. It can suddenly turn around, shoot straight into the clouds, and sometimes even fly backward.

2. A dragonfly has six legs, growing on the thorax, close to the head. The legs are slender and weak, with hooks and spines on them, and can catch pests while flying in the air; but after hatching, the nymph has no legs, and after its first molt it has simply constructed legs.

Meganeura is the largest insect species known to have ever appeared on Earth. Its wings spread to a span of 2.5 feet (75 cm), much larger than an ordinary dragonfly. It mainly fed on other insects and small amphibians, but eventually went extinct. The dragonfly is not only the insect with the most eyes in the world, but also the winged insect with the best eyesight in the animal kingdom. It can not only see more colors than humans, but also see in all directions at the same time without turning its head, and can also measure speed.