Meganeura

The first Queen of the heavens

The tropical swamp forests of the late Carboniferous period were home to many species of flying insects. The largest and most dangerous among them was a dragonfly: Meganeura.  It was possibly the largest flying insect in Earth's history.

It is believed that the 30 per cent higher oxygen content of the Earth's atmosphere during the Carboniferous period was responsible for insects in particular growing larger than ever before or ever after.

Their lungs, the tracheae, were located on the outside of their bodies, which allowed them to take in more oxygen than amphibians and reptiles. The higher density of the air also made it easier to fly, and the muscles worked more efficiently. And so Meganeura killed its prey while flying in the air. It hunted smaller dragonflies, but also other insects and reptiles.

Its larvae, barely 30 cm long, were also already voracious predators. The larvae lived in vertical tunnels in moist soil. They regularly emerged to search for spiders, insects, and small amphibians. Once the prey was caught, it was retracted into the burrows and eaten there.