The Secret World of Dragonflies | Short Film Showcase

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  • Опубліковано 19 лис 2024
  • The colorful, acrobatic dragonfly may seem familiar, but this stunning macro film reveals the mysteries behind its metamorphic life cycle-and some surprising adaptations.
    See more from filmmaker Andy Holt.
    www.wildlifelen...
    Learn about the making of this film.
    www.wildlifelen...
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    The Secret World of Dragonflies | Short Film Showcase
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 707

  • @vipahman
    @vipahman 5 років тому +376

    The fact that they spend most of their life underwater was eye-opening to me. Thanks for a beautiful and educational video.

    • @migranthawker2952
      @migranthawker2952 4 роки тому +8

      The Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) spends 5+ years as a nymph

    • @Ronaldomeatrider
      @Ronaldomeatrider 3 роки тому +5

      That’s why u see them mostly in our pools or ponds near us

    • @OmnipotentSaiyan
      @OmnipotentSaiyan Рік тому +3

      “Mating only last a few seconds”
      Well darn, I beat their record…

  • @vickikozakmatthews1112
    @vickikozakmatthews1112 5 років тому +379

    I can actually ‘pet’ a blue dragonfly out near my pool!! He seems to have a personality & perches on one specific reed & lets me stroke his wings & tail. He is just so cool! I love 💕 him

    • @yLeprechaun
      @yLeprechaun 5 років тому +37

      I am excruciatlingly jealous of you. I would love pet dragonflies. Sadly, I must enjoy them as they dip and dive on by.

    • @juliearnold5065
      @juliearnold5065 5 років тому +9

      Love your story.

    • @GG-vq6ro
      @GG-vq6ro 5 років тому +9

      That's cool

    • @MeteoricStoneofSouls
      @MeteoricStoneofSouls 5 років тому +13

      It's a fairy...a very deadly fairy.

    • @JEEROFUKU
      @JEEROFUKU 5 років тому +7

      Vicki Kozak Matthews I bet you have a lovely peaceful personality 😉🍀🙏🏻❤️

  • @jayp4582
    @jayp4582 9 років тому +503

    I have a real fondness for these insects. It started for me one day when my crew got a job nearca wooded area early in the morning with a layer of morning dew. We were being eaten alive by mosquitoes for hours. They were relentless to the point we were going to shut down operations. Then out of nowhere a small swarm of dragonflies appeared. Almost instantly the mosquitoes stopped biting. Even with the mosquitoes gone the dragonflies hung around and allowed us to complete the job. Loved those little fuckers ever since that day! 😆

  • @lucasdavis1964
    @lucasdavis1964 9 років тому +465

    Even if you think these things are scary looking, just remember that they eat flies and gnats and other tiny insects that annoy you on a hot summer day.

    • @blaquemarou
      @blaquemarou 8 років тому +5

      +Lucas Davis all too true

    • @janeens_lucidity2531
      @janeens_lucidity2531 8 років тому +5

      But two them ran into my forehead 😂😂😂😂 I think they hate me

    • @blaquemarou
      @blaquemarou 8 років тому +3

      (lol)
      i find this funny
      that is so mean of me

    • @intotheunknown6523
      @intotheunknown6523 5 років тому +18

      The only insect I don’t mind landing on me including ladybirds

    • @6v6-c4u
      @6v6-c4u 3 роки тому +2

      Also mosquitos!

  • @Xero_Espadas
    @Xero_Espadas 10 років тому +279

    My god this was an amazing video, kudos to the film maker, camera man, narrator and others who made this video happen. Keep up the good work.

    • @rand0m0mg
      @rand0m0mg 5 років тому +8

      It's the music. Some star wars shizzle.

    • @haggai3.477
      @haggai3.477 3 роки тому +1

      @@rand0m0mg
      Tip of the hat to you.

  • @jlsinner99
    @jlsinner99 9 років тому +84

    Fascinated by dragonflies and had no idea they live about 2 years under water as nymphs before emerging as dragonflies for about a month before mating and dying! The insect world is as strange as deep ocean life.

  • @CiprianoA
    @CiprianoA 8 років тому +391

    I love dragonflies they can eat up to 1000 mosquitos a day :)

    • @RageGamer-iz5tj
      @RageGamer-iz5tj 8 років тому +17

      itscipr A actually not 1000 only 100

    • @michaelrossi3707
      @michaelrossi3707 7 років тому +3

      They don't eat mosquitoes! They eat their larvae.

    • @banglarmn
      @banglarmn 6 років тому +4

      Wow didn't know why I loved them so much lol

    • @aprilboazman4240
      @aprilboazman4240 5 років тому +35

      @@michaelrossi3707 they eat both. The nymphs eat the larvae and the adults eat the mosquitoes along with other flying insects.

    • @DemonicEngineer
      @DemonicEngineer 5 років тому +1

      @@RageGamer-iz5tj actually 30

  • @raymondngu3026
    @raymondngu3026 10 років тому +75

    That was the most magical video I've seen in a long time, not since watching Disney movies when I was a kid.

  • @Spectrumistic
    @Spectrumistic 10 років тому +94

    I am obsessed with Dragonflies for some reason... they so beutifull

    • @sm9079
      @sm9079 8 років тому

      ㄷㄱ티ㄸ

    • @sm9079
      @sm9079 8 років тому

      ㅢ디디디딛

    • @ZekeRee611
      @ZekeRee611 4 роки тому +1

      Their name is cool too

    • @randomrandom5316
      @randomrandom5316 4 роки тому +1

      Are you still obsessed about these creatures until now?

  • @nyarshroud8778
    @nyarshroud8778 4 роки тому +24

    One of nature’s marvels. Hunter of the water during young life and hunter by the skies during adult life.

  • @MustangsTrainsMowers
    @MustangsTrainsMowers 8 років тому +158

    My favorite insect.

  • @astrolopes
    @astrolopes 5 років тому +34

    Nice to watch a documentary with music as wonderous and beautiful as the subject!

    • @judil3294
      @judil3294 5 років тому

      Except for those who don't hear well, his soft voice is mucked up with the soft music making him hard to understand. Yes, great subject but I gave up. If I turn up the volume it will only be rude to others.

    • @benji.B-side
      @benji.B-side 5 років тому +1

      The music is from the LP 'The Planets' by Gustav Holst.

    • @toonmama6
      @toonmama6 4 роки тому

      Yess superb in every aspect. Sending this clip to my pops.

    • @DACatface
      @DACatface 3 роки тому

      @@judil3294 captions?

  • @emyywolf
    @emyywolf 6 років тому +120

    Wow!!!! If it wasn't for UA-cam... I would have never known that dragonflies start out as water bugs. 😵😵😵
    Mind-blown

  • @RODERICKMOLASAR
    @RODERICKMOLASAR 9 років тому +36

    Washington State, July of 2015. I was reading a Ray Bradbury book aloud by a lake. The title was FAREWELL SUMMER. A medium-sized blue-bodied dragonfly promptly landed on the left-sided page close to my left thumb. He was facing away from me, and I could watch the rhythm of his breathing in his abdomen. It was surprisingly slow. His body was perfectly parallel to the left side of the page. The front of his head was just even with the forward edge of the page. He sat there for maybe a couple of minutes before taking flight again. Speechless.

  • @rocioaguilera3613
    @rocioaguilera3613 5 років тому +37

    What an amazing filmography. My respect for the camera persons

    • @smiller2044
      @smiller2044 5 років тому +2

      I'd like to know how long all this footage took to capture & edit. 🎥

  • @dillonx11
    @dillonx11 5 років тому +45

    if i could increase the size of any creature and ride into battle, it would be the Dragonfly

    • @danyoutube7491
      @danyoutube7491 4 роки тому +2

      You might get dizzy with the sharp changes of direction!

    • @parzival9651
      @parzival9651 3 роки тому

      There actually used to be big dragonflies in prehistoric times

    • @NovaProspekt19
      @NovaProspekt19 4 місяці тому

      ​@parzival9651 not only were the flies bigger. But also the caterpillars, mantises, and beetles. The oxygen level in the atmosphere allowed for a lot of creatures to be bigger

  • @DopeWithoutDope
    @DopeWithoutDope 10 років тому +60

    If that ain't starting from the bottom....

  • @tashaschneider1419
    @tashaschneider1419 6 років тому +7

    Beautiful images of these precious Dragonflies! Music choice is perfect!!!!!

  • @D00DAL3X
    @D00DAL3X 7 років тому +30

    I appreciate dragon flys a lot more now

  • @glengraham7080
    @glengraham7080 5 років тому +11

    When a design persists 300,000,000 years you know it's pretty effective!

  • @ematthews9443
    @ematthews9443 8 років тому +32

    Wonderful, I would love to be a professional wildlife camera person filming insects like this. I did capture some dragonfly's today but my lil old cheap camera equipment isn't up to this standard. Always had fascination with insects, they're far more interesting than people.

  • @shellymauck5389
    @shellymauck5389 2 роки тому +3

    Last weekend I sat in the Potomac River, Maryland, USA and watched up to 12 damsel dragonflies sit on my leg. I was intrigued by them and wanted to learn more. Thank you so much for making this film! My appreciation for this seemingly delicate insect has broadened thanks to you.

  • @poisonempress
    @poisonempress 3 роки тому +5

    I didn't know the nymph stage of these guys was so long and interesting, I absolutely love Dragonflies

  • @Tinaraver
    @Tinaraver 10 років тому +17

    dragonflies are my totem & power animal; this is amazing - thank you

  • @terryfriend16
    @terryfriend16 5 років тому +13

    Don't know much about Biology... but I do know I love nature, and the welcoming Dragon Fly always reminds me of summer.

  • @thegefster1988
    @thegefster1988 5 років тому +7

    So neat seeing there is a world within our world. Such colorful beautiful animals

  • @annalisa14
    @annalisa14 5 років тому +14

    Ooooh, that last Nymph portrait was scaaaaarry !!!😳😨😱

  • @DocRosow
    @DocRosow 8 років тому +6

    This quiet, gently presented short is chock full of well-researched secrets. Thank you for a beautiful and informing presentation.

  • @shawmmaker1
    @shawmmaker1 4 роки тому +5

    What an absolutely lovely film. The understated narration explains the sequences without intruding and the photography is outstanding. It must have taken forever to make, but how better could you spend your time? Thank you.

  • @THEGREENHELIUM
    @THEGREENHELIUM 10 років тому +10

    this was absolutely amazing, i hope they do a series of more insects

  • @HoneyDubey23
    @HoneyDubey23 5 років тому +11

    Dragonflies are beautiful 🐉🐲 Its amazing how they learn to fly right away

  • @badoocee1967
    @badoocee1967 10 років тому +5

    Great in-depth camera work and a fascinating perspective on this creature!

  • @yLeprechaun
    @yLeprechaun 5 років тому +18

    I adore dragonflies. One of my favorite parts of Summer.

    • @ratherbwithhorses
      @ratherbwithhorses 5 років тому +1

      Seeing more varieties this summer than recently was nice this year.

  • @Jhayzer021
    @Jhayzer021 4 роки тому +2

    I missed seeing Dragonfly, I remember when we lived in the province back in the 90's we see this amazing insects all day.

  • @THEGANJASAINT
    @THEGANJASAINT 7 років тому +3

    the background music of this video is worth of an epic hollywood movie

  • @funny-video-YouTube-channel
    @funny-video-YouTube-channel 5 років тому +5

    Beautiful insect with a fascinating life cycle.
    It's like an alien that feeds on fish, other insects and small frogs.
    They help to keep the *mosquito population low,* we can be happy about that !

  • @kimmer6
    @kimmer6 8 років тому +44

    Yesterday and today I must have 30 of then flying around my back yard. There is no nearby open water. Fighter pilots, all of them.

  • @robertocorradi7571
    @robertocorradi7571 5 років тому +5

    Fabulous photography , Great information . . . Thank you

  • @bluedasher74
    @bluedasher74 8 років тому +11

    An enjoyable short film. It's got fantastic visuals. I love dragonflies!

  • @heatherkaye8653
    @heatherkaye8653 5 років тому +7

    Just experienced the variegated meadow hawk migration at the Oregon coast. It was wild! Hundreds of the species all over the beach right at the wave break. Super fascinating!

  • @mariuszsympatyczny8221
    @mariuszsympatyczny8221 7 років тому +8

    Nice choice of music /well made video/ magic wonders of life

  • @RobinGoodfell
    @RobinGoodfell 5 років тому +4

    Absolutely beautiful.. and the music... wow

  • @annalisa14
    @annalisa14 5 років тому +8

    Andy Holt, you’re great 👍🏼 thank you very much for this excellent documentary. BBC worthy. David Attenborough would like very much.

  • @matwithonet1984
    @matwithonet1984 Рік тому +3

    I was fishing at the river one day, and saw a nymph swim to the bank. It walked out of the water, climbed up onto a log, and basked in the sun until it hatched. It was quite an incredible thing to witness. When I first observed the nymph I had no clue what I was looking at. I didn't know dragonflies were aquatic beings first.

  • @brettnelson7518
    @brettnelson7518 4 роки тому +3

    I heard a buzzing the other day and looked down to find this giant dragon fly chewing on the back of a smaller dragon fly. The little one was freaking out but couldn't do anything while it was slowly being eaten alive. It was pretty brutal!!

  • @lcdd9091
    @lcdd9091 5 років тому +10

    Truly fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing

  • @seachdamhneamh7771
    @seachdamhneamh7771 5 років тому +8

    I love dragonflys I have always loved them since I was a young kid💕

  • @senatorjosephmccarthy2720
    @senatorjosephmccarthy2720 7 років тому +9

    Yes, fighter pilots. So similar to a Cobra helicopter. Except the dragonfly can move suddenly faster. Once I came home to hundreds of them over my front yard, about 5' high. What a colorful sight.

  • @drelrod5462
    @drelrod5462 5 років тому +8

    fascinating and vulnerable, love me some dragonfly

  • @xxAnaconta
    @xxAnaconta 7 років тому +10

    Truly magnificent creatures, and they feed on mosquitoes too which is a plus.

  • @ashleyreynolds3931
    @ashleyreynolds3931 6 років тому +7

    my boyfriend and i just watched this video and enjoyed it very much. We love watching the dragonflies each year but did not know many facts about them. not only did this video clarify many quedtions but it was also very interesting and entertaining. Thanks!

  • @MantisKiller
    @MantisKiller 5 років тому +4

    This was so beautifully shown and well explained!

  • @tahall5646
    @tahall5646 5 років тому +9

    I loved the video. The music was appropriate.

  • @Jinks1447
    @Jinks1447 7 років тому +7

    Thank you! I like dragonflies because they kill pests like mosquitoes! When I was growing up in Illinois we had lots of dragonflies. We lost some that got caught by the cat.

  • @zhaniahernandez7722
    @zhaniahernandez7722 5 років тому +3

    Wonderful works,they are fairies and angels to me.💖😊Thank you so much.🙏🙇

  • @Angel-nr8td
    @Angel-nr8td 7 років тому +13

    excellent video thank you so much

  • @joshgaona
    @joshgaona 10 років тому +5

    awesome video and excellent choice in music too!

  • @CariABray
    @CariABray 5 років тому +2

    Love this guy's voice!! 😍😍 Soooo relaxing!!!

  • @terrierickson4195
    @terrierickson4195 5 років тому +3

    Thank you for creating this!

  • @Mega12AX7
    @Mega12AX7 5 років тому +4

    Bravo Bravo Well Done!!! Absolutely beautiful 😍
    I live on Eastern Long Island in the Riverhead area off of Peconic Lake, a well-kept secret. There is a place off the lake that looks just like this. Elevated trains going by and all. So many dragonflies. The place is truly enchanted. Herons and Egrets as well. Once there was even a Mandarin duck. Everything you could imagine migrates through here every fall and nobody knows it exists, except for a few locals. You could call it dragonfly heaven 😁

  • @susanwedell7627
    @susanwedell7627 5 років тому +2

    I played with dragonfly's as a child in New Orleans, I never knew they lived so long ! Wonderful video !!!

  • @rodiroddude6204
    @rodiroddude6204 3 роки тому +5

    who else thinks that Dragonflies are kinda adorable? i sure do.
    literally we were at our summer cottage and there was like 100,00 mosquitos and then there was a dragonfly. next day there was not even that many mosquitos

  • @deadmetal8692
    @deadmetal8692 5 років тому +2

    Quite fortuitous actually. I was just sitting at my patio and saw a Dragonfly cruze by and I immediately started thinking about were and how they live. Pretty cool, pretty cool.

  • @jerryalakara
    @jerryalakara 5 років тому +10

    So informative! I didn't know all of this. Thank you a lot. Dragonflies have been a mystery for me. They have a darker and unique life than the others...they're beautiful anyway 😊

  • @junefox4172
    @junefox4172 5 років тому +7

    BEAUTIFULL creatures, there wings are so delicate, AMAZING .X❤❤

  • @caldwell2021
    @caldwell2021 9 років тому +9

    13:52 Aww look at that cute little face! :)

    • @pcrana1
      @pcrana1 8 років тому +3

      most dramatic close up ever, that nymph is training to become an actor. mark my words

  • @warrenlightning8137
    @warrenlightning8137 5 років тому +11

    I've always felt that life us beautiful and cruel.

  • @brendagoebel808
    @brendagoebel808 9 років тому +7

    Such a great video on my favorite subject! Thank you!

  • @earthlen
    @earthlen 10 років тому +14

    Beautiful video

  • @supriya5632
    @supriya5632 5 років тому +3

    Coming out of cocoon is such a beautiful process I wish I could also transform like this

    • @leonmetta5153
      @leonmetta5153 5 років тому

      We do. That's why life can hurt si much sometimes...

  • @DanielIXVIMCMLXXXI
    @DanielIXVIMCMLXXXI 5 років тому +8

    That ending was kind of ominous.

  • @onlineeducationnepal7842
    @onlineeducationnepal7842 2 роки тому +2

    My God .. this is so fascinating to find that it spent 2 years under the water ❣️🙏

  • @BasilBear
    @BasilBear 8 років тому +4

    Thank you for an excellent film!

  • @LambieSamba
    @LambieSamba 5 років тому +1

    Thank you, Andy Holt! Informative and enjoyable!

  • @jeffosborne1147
    @jeffosborne1147 5 років тому +1

    Just left the beach to watch sunset. There was 100's of them buzzing the sea oats area. It was pretty neat. Love them.

  • @TheVampireRove
    @TheVampireRove 5 років тому

    OMG. This is awesome. I wish this footage could be remastered and re-released in 4K HDR10+. That would be breath taking.

  • @wa13601
    @wa13601 3 місяці тому

    Mesmerizing music and voiceover Never knew these things about these gorgeous creatures. THSNK YOU!!!!

  • @kiikat
    @kiikat 5 років тому +3

    Wooooow so much information I never knew and stunning visuals!

  • @billiamc1969
    @billiamc1969 10 років тому +3

    AWESOME!!!! Great production all the way around...and I am hearing impaired and still enjoyed this video!!!

  • @yesman6877
    @yesman6877 5 років тому +1

    Beautifully made documentary..

  • @mfmichele77
    @mfmichele77 5 років тому +5

    I love dragonflies too, I had one land on my finger then would swim around my pool and land on my finger after every lap for 7 laps! No lie I have pictures with her!!! It was the best day ever!

  • @petarus625
    @petarus625 2 роки тому +1

    Love the music choices.

  • @tammyleeder1176
    @tammyleeder1176 2 роки тому +1

    Thank you so much for sharing!

  • @10Gmeister01
    @10Gmeister01 10 років тому +3

    That was really well done.

  • @melissakimplin8425
    @melissakimplin8425 7 років тому +2

    Loved this . OMG these creatures are so amazing

  • @OMEGa3FattyAcid100
    @OMEGa3FattyAcid100 7 років тому +10

    If it was narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this would have had more views.

  • @dominicdumarang9081
    @dominicdumarang9081 4 роки тому +2

    Thank you for this!
    What a great storytelling! Such a magnificent and somehow haunting (in the end) way to feature dragonflies' life.
    It is a life cycle indeed!

  • @hjd832
    @hjd832 4 роки тому +1

    Excellent film....I love them & their strange beauty !

  • @r.mcbride2837
    @r.mcbride2837 5 років тому +3

    Fascinating! I really enjoyed watching this. I adore dragonflies. We have many out on our ponds and they are so beautiful. Now I know what I'm looking at when they are flitting about out there!

  • @virginiabotha3545
    @virginiabotha3545 3 місяці тому

    Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for such an incredibly well made documentary.❤❤❤

  • @ivelissehfranceschi1674
    @ivelissehfranceschi1674 4 роки тому +5

    What a great video! I learned so much about this beautiful creatures! I have a question for you, a red dragonfly has been showing up everyday at the same time in my backyard for two weeks in a row. I’m fascinated by its presence. It gives me so much peace, for an unknown reason. Is this normal behavior? I have taken pictures almost everyday.

  • @lordbyron3603
    @lordbyron3603 5 років тому

    Dragon flies ..... one of my favorite insects. Beautiful and elegant.

  • @valsarte
    @valsarte 4 роки тому +1

    i love this docu film on dragonfly!

  • @Garry-pd8gw
    @Garry-pd8gw 4 місяці тому

    The calming voice and music help me listen and learn, and I will look for more videos on other animals I'm interested in. 😊😊

  • @rr7firefly
    @rr7firefly 5 років тому +2

    300 million years of dragonflies. Imagine that. Humans, far larger and more complex, but how well adapted for the long haul? BTW, I am really glad these insects were never able to grow to the size of a grackle. That would be a horror movie.

  • @LJG907
    @LJG907 3 роки тому +1

    Very informative. Good filming .. Thank you ...

  • @jagalikatte5797
    @jagalikatte5797 5 років тому +1

    Amazing video.
    When we were kids we used tie a thread to the tail of dragon flies and play, It was fun. Never knew their life cycle involved a phase called 'nymph'.
    Thanks to the producer of this video.

    • @amyvegaaable
      @amyvegaaable 5 років тому +1

      keshav murthy LOL i thought I was the only one

  • @DopeWithoutDope
    @DopeWithoutDope 10 років тому +67

    Good video but the narrator sounds like he's eating eclairs during the dialogue.

    • @shaleecem
      @shaleecem 10 років тому +3

      lmao!

    • @invisibleaznDJ
      @invisibleaznDJ 10 років тому +2

      lmfao. We need Morgan Freeman.

    • @CatherineSTodd
      @CatherineSTodd 9 років тому

      Brother Obi : I think it's called an "English accent!"

    • @yuexkyo2
      @yuexkyo2 9 років тому +1

      Brother Obi I thought it was Milton Jones.

    • @benjamina.herder6044
      @benjamina.herder6044 9 років тому

      Brother Obi YOL25times

  • @nomadicsoul34
    @nomadicsoul34 6 років тому +1

    What an amazing creature. Thanks for the vid.

  • @domingodeanda233
    @domingodeanda233 5 років тому +1

    I have always wondered about Dragon Flys