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How can some dragonflies see almost all the way around their bodies?

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Male jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx splendens). — Odonata Male jewelwing damselfly (*Calopteryx splendens*).

Dragonflies are able to see almost all the way around their bodies because they possess large, bulging compound eyes that occupy most of their head. In many species of the suborder Anisoptera, these eyes meet at the top of the head, providing a field of vision that approaches 360 degrees.12

These highly developed eyes are composed of up to 30,000 individual optical units, known as ommatidia. This complex structure allows dragonflies to be acutely responsive to movement and form, which is essential for their role as effective aerial predators. In some species that fly in low-light conditions, the eyes are even more expansive, occupying nearly the entire surface of the head.32