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Which animals prey on odonate larvae?
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Odonata
Male jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx splendens).
Odonate larvae, which are the aquatic young of dragonflies and damselflies, face predation from a variety of animals within their freshwater habitats.
The primary predators of odonate larvae include:
- Fish
- Frogs
- Birds
- Crayfish
- Other odonate larvae (cannibalism)
Additionally, during the process of emergence—when the larva leaves the water to molt into its adult form—they become particularly vulnerable to predation by birds, spiders, amphibians, and reptiles.1