Japanese giant dragonfly
Amazing fact
When the Japanese giant dragonfly rests on a branch, it hangs vertically with its tail down.
三鷹市
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
When the Japanese giant dragonfly rests on a branch, it hangs vertically with its tail down.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese giant dragonfly
- Scientific name
- Anotogaster sieboldii
- Japanese name
- オニヤンマ
- Group
- Insects
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Odonata
- Family
- Cordulegastridae
- Genus
- Anotogaster
A very large dragonfly found all over Japan. It grows up in small streams and wetlands at the edges of woods.
Its black body has yellow stripes. Its green eyes touch each other in the middle and stand out clearly.
Males patrol back and forth over waterways and forest paths. They sometimes catch other dragonflies in midair and eat them.
How the Japanese giant dragonfly lives
Its aquatic larvae sometimes attack small fish. Adults can be seen from summer into autumn. It moves its wings independently as it flies.
三鷹市国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所Basic data
- Size
- Body length: 9–11 cm国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所
- Diet
- Small animals三鷹市
- Range
- Throughout Japan国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所
Where the Japanese giant dragonfly has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 三鷹市 — みたかいきもの図鑑 オニヤンマChecked: 2026-11-03
- 国土交通省 大隅河川国道事務所 — 肝属川の昆虫 オニヤンマChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeRELATIVES
Others in Odonata
MORE TO MEET
