Bush giant dragonfly

Uropetala carovei or kapokapowai (water snatcher) is New Zealand's largest dragonfly with a wingspan up to 130 mm, and it can be up to 86 mm long. It is relatively common and its favourite habitat is damp areas of native forests. Dragonfly larvae tunnel into soft earth by water to make their home in a chamber half-filled with water and emerge at night to seek prey near the entrance. They are long lived (estimated to be 5–6 years) and are very sensitive to disturbance so they are rarely observed. As adults, they are extremely effective aerial predators. They’re loud fliers, so you may hear one buzzing if you’re out near freshwater on a sunny day.

Image by Nick Goldwater, CC BY-NC 4.0. Sourced from iNaturalist NZ.