the shortest, a dragonfly's life-cycle from egg to death of adult is about 6 months. Some of the larger dragonflies take 6 or 7 years! Most of this time is spent in the larval form, beneath the water surface, catching other invertebrates. The small damselflies live for a couple of weeks as free-flying adults. The larger dragonflies can live for 4 months in their flying stage. In Britain, lucky Damsels seldom go more than two weeks and Dragons more than two months.

Well I guess that depends on who you talk to--Most farmers who are in the egg producing business will say 2 years. Those who are in the meat producing business will say 6 months--Those who keep birds as pets (with names) or who are not interested in maximum production of eggs, will find that chickens can live up to 8 or 10 years.

Possibly the earliest reference to the name is from Francis Bacon's "Sylva Sylvarum: or a Naturall Historie in Ten Centuries." (a curious hotch-potch of experiments, observations, speculations, ancient teachings, and analytical discussions on topics ranging from the causes of hiccups to explanations for the shortage of rain in Egypt).

Mainly, adult dragonflies eat other flying insects, particularly midges and mosquitoes. They also will take butterflies, moths and smaller dragonflies. There is one Asian species which takes spiders from their webs! The larvae, which live in water, eat almost anything living that is smaller than themselves. The larger dragonfly larvae are known to catch and eat small fish or fry. Usually they eat bloodworms or other aquatic insect larvae.

Dragonflies do have enemies. Among the species that catch and eat adult dragonflies and damselflies are birds (e.g. Wagtails and Hobbies), Spiders (many damselflies are caught in webs), Frogs, and larger species of dragonflies (which catch and eat other dragonflies and damselflies). In the larval stage, which is spent underwater, they are preyed on by fish, frogs, toads and newts, other water invertebrates - and Kingfishers (see photo below).

Yes that is true 99% of the time. In the Boer War beards were allowed. In WW1 in the trenches shaving was obligatory if the situation allowed it. WW2 was the same. Shave unless involved in direct combat. Post WW2 shaving became compulsory regardless of circumstances.

The Chinese Shar Pei have an average life span of between 8 to 12 years of age, like all other breeds, that don't fall prey to genetic disorders, cancer and a more common ailment in the breed, amyloidosis. I have many shar pei that have reached the age of 12 years of age, and some have fallen prey to cancer and the genetic disease that we, as breeders, are trying hard to rid the breed of, amyloidosis.

This is a common belief of many veterinarians and breeders. The fact is that no one really knows what the life span of frozen vs fresh semen is. The types of damage that can occur to sperm membranes during the freezing and thawing process theoretically could reduce the time of survival in the mare's reproductive tract.

For certain levels, Seekings should take longer and be more complicated. Hey, you're the one who wanted to be a master.

Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the insect order known as Odonata, meaning "toothed jaw" - their mouthparts are serrated. They are often referred to collectively as "dragonflies", however there are two different sub-orders. Damselflies are insect in the sub-order Zygoptera (meaning "yoke-winged"). All four wings are near enough equal in size and shape. They are usually small, weakly flying insects that stay close to the water margins or water surface.

No, although large dragonflies if held in the hand will sometimes try to bite, but fail to break the skin. They have a lot of "folk names" which imply that they do (such as Horse stinger), but they don't use their egg-laying tube (ovipositor) for stinging. They also don't bite (people) but they are a fearsome predator of other flying insects.

There are many legends and myths about dragonflies and damselflies from all parts of the world. Many are evident from their common nicknames. In the UK, Dragonflies were called 'Horse-Stingers'. This name may come from the way a captured dragonfly curls its abdomen as if in an attempt to sting. Another possible explanation of this name is that the big Aeshnids etc. are/were often seen flying round horses in fields. Here they were actually feeding on the flies attracted to the horses.

Yes, Dragonflies do have a pair of antennae. They are very tiny and difficult to see. If you look at the photo on the right you will just be able to see the antennae between the front of the eye and the front of the face of this Emperor dragonfly. As dragonflies rely much more on their eyesight than on a sense of touch or smell, they do not need the large antennae found on some beetles and moths.

You'd think that would be a simple question, with a simple answer. Unfortunately, every source I've found gives different information: Britanica Online says the lifespan of a domestic cat in captivity is 21 years (in context, this seems to be the maximum age of the vast majority of otherwise healthy cats!!!). The Tidycat website once indicated that the average Russian Blue lives 18 years (I couldn't find a reference to persian lifespan). On the HomeArts Ask the Vet website, Dr.

Mono Lake Brine Shrimp have two to three generations every year, and they live for up to 6 months. They all die off by the end of the year as the water cools. Cysts hatch the following April and the cycle repeats. Click here for more on Mono Lake Brine Shrimp. top

Head lice live about a month after hatching. It takes about a week for an egg to mature and hatch. The nymph louse grows to maturity in about a week to ten days. This leaves about three weeks of active life in the hair.

The average life span of most giant breeds is about 8-10 years. I know of Danes living to 10-12 years, but right now unfortunately that is the exception rather than the rule. There are a few health problems which afflict the Great Dane breed: growth problems (HOD, PANO and OCD), hip dysplasia (OFA and Penn-Hip tests), and bloat/GDV/torsion are primary concerns. Wobblers, thyroid problems, and problems with the eyes (CERF test) also appear in the breed. Se our HEALTH links for more info: