A small dragonfly was capable of intercontinental migration

    The next time you see Pantala flavescens, know that this is the greatest traveler in the world.

    Photo: Greg Lasley

    Dragonflies of the species Pantala flavescens, as it turned out, are the most capable travelers in the world among all the flying animals of the planet. An insect barely 4 cm long can fly across the oceans, migrating from continent to continent. This was stated by biologists from Rutgers University. Unfortunately, scientists were not able to observe the migration of insects directly. Instead, they analyzed the Pantala flavescens dragonfly genome in Texas, Canada, Japan, Korea, India, and South America. As it turned out, the genetic profiles of various insects are so similar that there is only one explanation for this. Namely - insects somehow overcome huge obstacles and interbreed with each other across the planet.

    “For the first time, someone decided to study genes to determine the travel distance of these insects,” said Jessica Ware, a spokeswoman for the research team. “If Pantala from North America would interbreed and dragonflies from Japan interbreed, one would expect that the genetic profiles of insects from these regions would differ from each other. But since we don’t see this, we can think that genes are mixed as a result of all-planet migration of insects, ”she says.

    How was a small dragonfly able to move from continent to continent? After all, this is not a bird with strong wings or a whale, which does not care for great distances. It's all about a large area of ​​wings - insects are able to configure them in such a way that they are carried by the wind. They wave, wave, wave wings, and then soar for a long time, spending a minimum of energy. It is known, in particular, that these dragonflies fly away from India into a drought and move to Africa when it rains. Dragonflies do this once a year. A humid climate is necessary for the reproduction of insects.

    Some of them do not stop along the way, trying to use the movement of air masses in their own interests. Others stop on the islands they meet along the way, stopping for breeding. And already the offspring of dragonflies continues their journey across the ocean.

    So far, everything said above, except for the results of genetic research, is a hypothesis. Scientists do not have reliable factual material to talk about dragonfly migration routes. Scientists would like to do this, but you cannot place the same RFID tags on a dragonfly, other methods are not suitable for work.

    Earlier, monarch butterflies, which make a journey of four thousand kilometers (Canada-Caribbean), were considered record holders of travels among insects. It seems that the dragonflies of the Pantala flavescens species are much more capable travelers.

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