Giant Dragonflies?

Maire2009

So, was out walking today and nearly had the head taken off me by what seemed liked a giant dragonfly - okay, not quite the head taken off me but had to duck big time and the f€cker was HUGE!

I think its a dragonfly anyway - thing is, I live near a lake and am used to the normal, lovely, little blue dears that flutter around and look pretty. But this guy was huge and brown, a bit like this:

http://www.itsnature.org/Endangered/images/article-images/giant-dragonfly.jpg

Not something you'd swat away. He looked even bigger than the picture there, and fatter.

I've never come across anything like this in Ireland before - anyone else seen them? Are they common or a tourist?

Bipolar Joe

I saw a huge blue one, today, too. Guy must have been the size of my hand, never thought they could get that big.

Maire2009

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

I saw a huge blue one, today, too. Guy must have been the size of my hand, never thought they could get that big.

Yeah they are gigantic for Dragonflies - I know they can get that big but I thought they were only to be founds in parts of Australia etc., not common to Ireland.

Scared the bejaysus out of me. I got used to seen massive insects after living in Oz for a while but didn't expect to have to deal with them in Ireland Once had a massive spider in my bedroom - he definitely came in, in a box of bananas - ended up in my hoover

Eden3

I saw one today aswell ... don't think I've seen one around here before - used to live in US and Australia and they were commonplace there

marshbaboon

Maire2009 wrote: »

Yeah they are gigantic for Dragonflies - I know they can get that big but I thought they were only to be founds in parts of Australia etc., not common to Ireland.

Scared the bejaysus out of me. I got used to seen massive insects after living in Oz for a while but didn't expect to have to deal with them in Ireland Once had a massive spider in my bedroom - he definitely came in, in a box of bananas - ended up in my hoover

They're probably coming back with half the population when they come home to visit.

Casillas

It's the weird monsoon type weather we're having at the moment.

Maire2009

Glad others have seen them - I'm just glad I'm not going mad. People at work were laughing when I told them

cantdecide

I went for a walk this evening and was amazed at the amount and size of the slugs that have taken hold of the countryside near my parents house.

The slugs? The Dragonflies? Holy crap between the plagues and the hurricane for tomorrow... those feckin' Mayans!

Shryke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4tRFHJGBso

The_Thing

Maire2009 wrote: »

.....giant dragonfly .....f€cker was HUGE!

How close do you live to the Fukushima nuclear reactor?

Maire2009

Casillas wrote: »

It's the weird monsoon type weather we're having at the moment.

It must be - hopefully we can just get the rain and cold back soon ha ha

cantdecide wrote: »

I went for a walk this evening and was amazed at the amount and size of the slugs that have taken hold of the countryside near my parents house.

The slugs? The Dragonflies? Holy crap between the plagues and the hurricane for tomorrow... those feckin' Mayans!

2012 - the end of the world is neigh :eek:

The_Thing wrote: »

How close do you live to the Fukushima nuclear reactor?

Worse - I live in Ennis

cantdecide

Maire2009 wrote: »

Worse - I live in Ennis

AAAARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

marshbaboon

I have a pet tarantula, and insects still freak me the fcuk out.

If I catch one of these dragonflies I'll feed it to her & stick it on youtube.

Maire2009

cantdecide wrote: »

AAAARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

I can't - they've taken the roads in :eek:

marshbaboon wrote: »

I have a pet tarantula, and insects still freak me the fcuk out.

If I catch one of these dragonflies I'll feed it to her & stick it on youtube.

If you catch one can you take a photo first - just so we have proof of the invasion

B.A._Baracus

Artist's depiction of the Dragonfly that attacked the Op



:pac:

Evidemment

Storks too...I've seen them in places on the outskirts of Dublin.
They looked very out of place, but apparently they're native.

Overflow

I moved up into the countryside in Norway and jesus the insects we get up there are insane, crazy looking huge things, example:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430180_10151158581385799_284372526_n.jpg

rubadubduba

Yeah seem them a few times along the canals in dublin, their huge.
one of them flew in the window at work one time, ya want to see the girls run,:D

Where To

You sure it wasn't a grasshopper?

We have them in the bog up here, massive f**kers they are.

Maire2009

No - it didn't look like a grasshopper. I got as close as I bravely could ha ha and it definitely looked like a giant dragonfly - didn't have the same leg structure as a grasshopper,

Funkfield

I was at a bbq in Roscommon at the weekend and one of them flew by me with a pigeon in its mouth.

Where To

Maire2009 wrote: »

No - it didn't look like a grasshopper. I got as close as I bravely could ha ha and it definitely looked like a giant dragonfly - didn't have the same leg structure as a grasshopper,

They are remarkably similar. . . .

Maire2009

Where To wrote: »

They are remarkably similar. . . .

Now, see, they look cute If they looked like that I'd be bringing them home as pets and given them human names.

Fecky the Ninth

Overflow wrote: »

I moved up into the countryside in Norway and jesus the insects we get up there are insane, crazy looking huge things, example:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430180_10151158581385799_284372526_n.jpg

That looks like a wood wasp, I'v seen them in Ireland too.:eek:

MayoForSam

It may just be a coincidence, but the BBC have a report today from Japan about mutant insects around the Fukushima reactor : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19245818

"It has been believed that insects are very resistant to radiation," said lead researcher Joji Otaki from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa.

"In that sense, our results were unexpected," he told BBC News.

Mutant butterflies, giant dragonflies, what's next - Mothra? :eek:

MsQuinn

Found a dead one under the kitchen table last week. The cat brought it in. Fecking huge.

Last year he brought in a live one. Had to put it under a saucepan until the hubby came home to let it outside.

Seaneh

In the mountains on the North Carolina/Tennessee boarder a while back sitting in a cabin in a camp ground I was staying in and there was one that was longer than my hand just chilling on the inside of the window, I did a double take and someone just said "he's fine, he won't hurt ya".

keith16

Evidemment wrote: »

Storks too...I've seen them in places on the outskirts of Dublin.
They looked very out of place, but apparently they're native.

Storks are not native to Ireland.

You may be confusing them with "sporks" which are not birds, but plastic cutlery.

Eden3

Above posts so amusing ... he he he:D. However, I'm s'one very allergic to insect bites ... it's a real prob. Got an infection the other week from whatever felt obliged to bite me .... and even though I took anti-histimine, had to go to doc as infection set in v-quick. Irish doctor's first question was ..... wait for it ..... are you allergic to anything...??? Priceless ... everytime ..!:D:D

TeddyTedson

These things are the scariest of yokes I've encountered in a long time, and I've been on Camden street over the weekend!
This huge one came into my room and kept going for me.
The way they move is so freaky!

I don't know what purpose they serve in the world but I think they should all be gassed and made extinct.

They're creeps.

MadYaker

I saw a huge one on the wall of my house yesterday, its was massive about the size of my hand.

Fr_Dougal

Ah you haven't lived 'til you've met your first spider-baby...it has the body of a spider and the mind of a baby!

robman60

Very strange, I saw a huge one dead on the path today. I had to take a third look to realise the size of the thing.

Inb4: Conspiracy Theories: Run_to_the_hills: US government use dragonfly-like aviation devices to monitor Irish people.

Colmustard

I seen one to about 2 to 3 inches long 4 wings and I never seen one in Ireland before.

Did anyone else.

robman60

Colmustard wrote: »

I seen one to about 2 to 3 inches long 4 wings and I never seen one in Ireland before.

Did anyone else.

The one I saw today had two pairs of wings, quite spaced apart as opposed to the usual close together. It also had a much fatter body than any dragonfly I'd seen before.

Colmustard

robman60 wrote: »

The one I saw today had two pairs of wings, quite spaced apart as opposed to the usual close together. It also had a much fatter body than any dragonfly I'd seen before.

Yes 2 pairs of wings on both sides, it is easilly the biggest insect I ever seen in Ireland.

Capt'n Midnight

Back in the Carboniferous / Permian there were dragonflies the size of seagulls :eek:

And scientists have figured out how to grow big dragonflies too
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68838929

djflawless

Go to the bog you'll see draggys

Merch

TeddyTedson wrote: »

These things are the scariest of yokes I've encountered in a long time, and I've been on Camden street over the weekend!
This huge one came into my room and kept going for me.
The way they move is so freaky!

I don't know what purpose they serve in the world but I think they should all be gassed and made extinct.

They're creeps.

OP, you're not mad, I'm a reasonable distance from a canal, I've seen the odd blueish-green type of dragonfly there, but near enough to my house I saw a large, what I thought was orangish-brown dragonfly, it had a slight(narrow) body but was long, definitely 4 wings, I was driving the car and had just stopped at a stop sign, when I saw this fly past, it was pretty big and I was suprised to see it, easily bigger than the size of my hand.

As to what use are they, they eat insects like mosquitos, I assume the increase in sightings and the sizes reported are to do with the weather and what I have noticed is an increase in biting insects such as mozzies and other small flying annoyances (These are the buggers I dont understand what reason they have? other than food for dragonflies and wasps?)

I think the dragonfly look amazing and I assume they are in my defence as I have recently gotten eaten alive by the other almost invisible biting buggers.

Yakult

I havent seen one in years. Last time was when I was cutting turf. Would love to see one again. They were big back then so I cant imagine how much bigger they have got.

Maire2009

robman60 wrote: »

The one I saw today had two pairs of wings, quite spaced apart as opposed to the usual close together. It also had a much fatter body than any dragonfly I'd seen before.

Must be the same insect so as I saw. I was just wondering were they in fact something else, felt like an idiot calling them "giant dragonflies" but turns out they are - thanks boardies

csi vegas

Overflow wrote: »

I moved up into the countryside in Norway and jesus the insects we get up there are insane, crazy looking huge things, example:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430180_10151158581385799_284372526_n.jpg[/QUOTE]

That thing is fúcking mental and looks poisonous! Ick! imagine if you squashed it...uuugggh shivers!

csi vegas

TeddyTedson wrote: »

This huge one came into my room and kept going for me.
The way they move is so freaky!

I don't know what purpose they serve in the world but I think they should all be gassed and made extinct.

They're creeps.

csi vegas wrote: »

throw in a coke and aspirin bomb on them, see how they like that huh?

.

Cookie_Monster

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Back in the Carboniferous / Permian there were dragonflies the size of seagulls :eek:

size estimation
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aAAO1DN9Bgk/Ttj_y7y-hUI/AAAAAAAABFQ/HMo00p6dx1Q/s1600/Giant+Dragonfly.jpg

flas

my house back down home is near the canal and a bog,well used to massive dragonflies,they were always pretty harmless and cool to look at!