Fun Four-spotted Chaser Facts For Kids

The four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) is a kind of dragonfly, also commonly known as a four-spotted skimmer, found in North America. They belong to the order Odonata, phylum Arthropoda, and family Libellulidae and are widespread in Europe, America, and Asia.

Dragonflies, sometimes called skimmers, and damselflies look very similar to each other, but the difference in their wings helps to distinguish them as dragonflies have a dark brown spot near the middle of the leading edge of both wings. Males and females have yellowish-brown bodies with a darker abdomen, but the males are more territorial.

They have four dark spots on both wings. They live near lowland water bodies like ponds, lakes, and small rivers but can be seen near brackish water sites as well.

They are common in the temperate Northern Hemisphere like Britain, Europe, and America. They eat insects, gnats, midges but larvae only feed on aquatic insects.

They have big brown eyes and thorax. They are migratory and can often be seen in flight in late April to mid August.

Have an interest in insects and want to know about more of them? Here you can know some amazing facts about puss moth and gypsy moth.

Four-Spotted Chaser Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a four-spotted chaser?

The four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) is a type of insect that prefers to live in habitats like small open and freshwater territories such as ponds and rivers. This insect is commonly seen in North America. They are also known as four-spotted skimmers and they have a dark abdomen.

What class of animal does a four-spotted chaser belong to?

This insect belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the class Insecta, the family Libellulidae, and the infraorder Anisoptera. They have multiple black spots on their wings and this how they got the name. The four-spotted chaser scientific name is Libellula quadrimaculata.

How many four-spotted chasers are there in the world?

The exact population of this insect is not known, but they are in abundance in the temperate Northern Hemisphere and can be spotted easily. However, they might have left places which have become too shady for their habitat.

Where does a four-spotted chaser live?

The four-spotted chaser lives in open freshwater regions like ponds, lakes, and small rivers. They can also be seen in countries like Morocco, Turkey, the Balkans, and the Eurasian range.

What is a four-spotted chaser's habitat?

The natural habitat of this species is ponds, vernal ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers with emergent vegetation where they often can be seen in the months of June and July. At times, they inhabit the areas near brackish water as well.

They can also be seen in abundance around acidic lakes and pools and can easily colonize new-formed water bodies.

Who do four-spotted chasers live with?

They live in colonies and sometimes even fly in small groups and defend their territorial regions. Dragonflies and damselflies look very similar and can often be seen flying around the same habitat.

How long does a four-spotted chaser live?

The exact lifespan of the four-spotted chaser is not known, but dragonflies often live for 70-90 days in a good natural habitat.

How do they reproduce?

Their flight period is their mating time. This species often mates mid-air during flight and the female lays eggs around the ponds. The four-spotted chaser egg hatches after four to six weeks and they reach the adult stage in mid-August.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the four-spotted chaser is under the category of Least Concern (LC) species. These dragonflies are widespread in the global north and can often be confused with damselflies.

Four-Spotted Chaser Fun Facts

What do four-spotted chasers look like?

Four-spotted chasers of family Libellulidae and order Odonataare are yellowish-brown in color and are broad-bodied. This dragonfly has large brown eyes and a thorax.

The abdomen is wider and is black in color and has yellow markings on the side in both males and females. One distinctive feature which these dragonflies has is the presence of a dark brown spots near the middle of the leading edge of both wings.

How cute are they?

Being very small and colorful, dragonflies with the distinct patterns on their bodies look cute, but at the same time, because they are insects, people can think they are gross as well.

How do they communicate?

The way the four-spotted chaser dragonfly communicates is not known currently, but dragonflies have a very distinctive way to communicate. They use their colorful body colors like blue, green, brown, and yellow to send messages to their group mates. They also use them to warn others about predators.

How big is a four-spotted chaser?

The four-spotted chaser or the four-spotted skimmer belongs to the Insecta class and is 1.5-1.8 in (3.8-4.6 cm) long. Their predator dragonfly, the emperor dragonfly, is three times the size of these dragonflies.

How fast can a four-spotted chaser move?

These dragonflies are excellent fliers and can be called air acrobats in the wildlife. They can turn 360 degrees and can eve fly upside down. They can travel long distances as well. Flying is essential for them as they only eat when in the sky.

How much does a four-spotted chaser weigh?

The weight of the four-spotted chaser is unknown, but on average, dragonflies weigh 0.03-0.07 oz (1-2 g). The males weigh more than females.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and female of four-spotted chaser dragonflies.

What would you call a baby four-spotted chaser?

A baby four-spotted chaser is known as a nymph or a larva.

What do they eat?

Males and females of this species mainly feed on various insects, mosquitoes, gnats, midges, sometimes other butterflies, moths, and bees. The larvae eat aquatic insects and tadpoles.

Are they dangerous?

This species is completely harmless to humans. They never attack first, but if you tease them with your finger, they can sting you. They are not aggressive insects but sometimes tend to bite humans when they feel threatened.

Would they make a good pet?

Indeed this species is fun to raise if kept in a good environment. However, they might not make a good pet because they are insects and need to be in their natural habitat. Keeping them as a pet in your house can become irritating for you after a while as they like to fly around.

Did you know...

The lookalike species of skimmers is a damselfly. Skimmers are broad-bodied and larger in size than dragonflies. Both male and female dragonflies have dark spots but their distinctive range of color on the abdomen.

A way to distinguish a damselfly and a dragonfly is looking at how each insect rests its wing. A damselfly will fold its wing over its abdomen when resting, while a dragonfly will will keep its wings open when resting.

How many wings does a four-spotted chaser have?

The four-spotted chaser has a total of four wings, with each set of wings having spots of dark color.

Why are they called four-spotted chasers?

The four-spotted skimmer is quite a distinctive insect compared to the rest. They have four wings and these wings have dark spots on them with the presence of large brown patches as well on the base. Both males and females of this species have brown bodies with yellow patterns.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these queen butterfly facts and the white admiral butterfly facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our free printable four spotted chaser coloring pages.