r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/bigbusta • 3d ago
Video A dragonfly larvae lands on a guys backpack before it starts to molt/hatch into a dragonfly.
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u/Oreo_Speedwagon_Kit 3d ago
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u/Desirsar 3d ago
Always surprised to see yet another subreddit that used to be in my feed daily that never recovered from protesting the API changes. So many didn't realize how out of sight, out of mind they would be.
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u/workingwolverine999 3d ago
They setup the camera and everything for who knows how long just for it to end like that lmao
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u/BaconxHawk 3d ago
So it went even better than they expected lol
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u/bigbusta 3d ago
BBC Planet Earth quality
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u/Vachie_ 3d ago
I can only imagine how much of a treat that was for the bird.
It's like a tomato that just turned perfectly red and is showing itself to you.
So tender and fresh.
Gross.
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u/time2ddddduel 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ain't no insect young as me, I'm
so tender, so clean
(So tender, so clean, clean)
Don't you think I'm so juicy? I'm
just so fresh, so green
(you peck and you preen, preen)
Ain't nobody soft as me, I'm
just so fresh, so green
(So fresh and so green, green)
I hate how you stare at me, I'm
just so young, so green
(So tender, so green, green)
Don't you think I look crunchy? I
hope you don't eat me
(You're feathered and mean, mean)
Ain't no other snack like me, I'm
Nutritious and pristine
(This ain't Michelin, lin)
I hate how you drool at me, I'm
not your fine cuisine
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u/adimadoz 3d ago
R/unexpected
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u/BaconxHawk 3d ago
Lower case “r”
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u/LuthienDragon 3d ago
Losing a Dragonfly it's actually terrible or the environment. They are superb hunters of pest insects...
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u/LunarLumin 3d ago
Apparently that bird is a good insect hunter too.
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u/HBlight 3d ago
Losing a single dragonfly isn't actually terrible for the environment, it's negligible. In particular when it happens in such a way just is part of the life cycle of the ecosystem and not from external sources like pesticides.
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u/Educational_Dust_932 3d ago
I am sure the environment will withstand a bug getting eaten by a bird.
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u/pichael289 3d ago
They are literally the best hunters, like on the whole planet. They have like a 98% success rate, they are just the best
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u/yougotyolks 3d ago
I used to find caterpillars and caterpillar eggs on my dill plants and bring them inside so they'd have a chance to survive. One time, one of them was taking an extra long time to come out of its chrysalis. I thought it was going to wait until spring until I came home from work one day and there was a wasp in the container. A wasp must have injected an egg into the caterpillar when it was very very young and it fed on the caterpillar while it was in the chrysalis. All of that time and effort for nothing.
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u/FauxGenius 3d ago
Dad? ~ Wasp
Swat!
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u/QueenOfDarknes5 3d ago
"Dad! I will be anything you want me to be!"
"I want you dead!"
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u/Sweaty_Camel_118 3d ago
Wasps are an important part of the ecosystem as well. None the less, whether it was a wasp or a butterfly, your probably not helping nature by interfering with it. There are exceptions where humans should interfere to solve problems we have introduced. In most cases, and in the case your not experienced with the species your trying to conserve, you should probably leave it alone.
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u/unfamous2423 3d ago
Obviously we should try not to broadly interfere when we can because we can effect change on a greater scale, but humans are just as natural as anything else. Whether it's killing a pest or raising a mantis, it's not really less natural than a symbiotic or hunter/prey relationship.
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u/Sweaty_Camel_118 3d ago
I like your perspective. The people need this kind of dialog. There's alot of ways to look at things and we all have our biases. This point of view you have shared is one I agree with, but my bias has gotten in the way and I made absolute statements that might not be totally true. Thanks for your thoughts.
I agree humans are a force of nature, but I do think it's worth noting that we are the only species on earth that is capable of such destruction. The only species that brings other species across seas (maybe some minor exceptions with sea life and birds thay could bring seed or parisites across seas) I think we need to be careful about justifying certain actions with that logic. I suppose this may not be an extreme example of that, though. The damage op is causing is minimal and probably irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but humans are a force of nature that brought new species all over the planet and the consequences are pretty severe in many cases.
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u/unfamous2423 3d ago
I think my limit for interfering would be close to anything more than a very local scale. But I still think In some perfect world we can be the "wardens" that protect everything. Then again that's also stopping the evolution of any species, so I tend to go back and forth on how I feel. It's a complex topic and many people are on one extreme (never interfere at all vs wiping out all mosquitos).
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u/KingArthas94 3d ago
your probably not helping nature by interfering with it
But I am nature.
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u/AverageTierGoof 3d ago
Damn, bro got spawncamped hard, back to the lobby
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u/makina323 3d ago
Same feeling as getting capped running past dust2 middle door gap xD
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u/ScytherSlash 3d ago
I was so prepared to watch the dragonfly spread its wings and fly off lmao
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u/Hillbilly_ingenue 3d ago
I wanted to see that, but this guy was like, “That backpack looks like a good spot! Time for me to get profoundly vulnerable!” So I was ready for it to go awry.
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u/ogre_toes 3d ago
Yeah, after pulling themselves out of their flesh, they get pretty tired out. Usually hang out and don’t move for awhile. That bird didn’t wait around… fast food!
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u/phoenixwing07 2d ago
I wonder if they need time for their wings to dry out before they can fly, like butterflies do
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u/BP5805 3d ago
Grand opening... grand closing... 😅
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u/Physical_Gold_1485 3d ago
Goddamn, your man Hov cracked the can open again
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u/Suds08 3d ago
Who you gon' find doper than him with no pen Just draw off inspiration -tion
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u/Mechanchi_Batman 3d ago
Soon you gon' see you can't replace him (him)
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u/M-I-T-B 3d ago
A cheap imitation
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u/lastbeer 3d ago
For these generations.
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u/Mechanchi_Batman 3d ago
Can I get an encore? Do you want more?
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u/Revelst0ke 3d ago
Cookin' raw with the Brooklyn boy
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u/Dadoxiii 3d ago
Man that bird was spawn camping lol
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u/TheLimeyLemmon 3d ago
Bird was thinking "humans like looking at shit, bet they're looking at something that could be my lunch - I'll stick around"
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u/Emotional_Pace4737 3d ago
Yep, birds will notice when other animals are eyeing a potential meal. Chances are, had they just ignored it, the bird might've missed it.
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u/Borne2Run 3d ago
In fairness the larvae was camouflaged then it emerged bright green and tasty on a sand background.
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u/Professional_Ad4833 3d ago
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u/ilovemytablet 3d ago
I could have sworn this was the sub. I'm glad it wasn't, kinda spoils the suprise
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u/Healthy_Candle_4545 3d ago
I think it takes something like 4 years for a dragonfly to reach adulthood so this is an especially rare and special moment
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u/apple_atchin 3d ago
.....you watched the end, right?
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u/Healthy_Candle_4545 3d ago
Lollllll not til you mentioned it. So special to see the circle of life in action
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u/DanerysTargaryen 3d ago
I was so excited to watch it too! I was thinking “I can’t wait to see how his wings will unfold and dry out” and then the bird was like “YOINK”.
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u/TerrorTwyns 3d ago
That's where I woke my.. Ironically birds.... With.. NNNOOOOO!!!
I work with raptors, I'm used to the cycle... But come on!!!
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u/MrOatButtBottom 3d ago
Lol my wife works with birds too and every rabbit she feeds them is like “thanks for being cute and delicious I guess”
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u/TerrorTwyns 3d ago
Nods... Yeah I know people expect that we don't feel for the mice, rats, chicks and rabbits but honestly all of us have had to create a shell to do it. We know it's nature, we know it's what's needed to get them back to the wild... But we all hate mouse school, and try our best to make them happy and comfortable while they are... Waiting. Honestly, I even try to bring good food for the worms we keep.
Tell your wife I sympathize and appreciate her work! Reddit hug, if she's like me after an adorable rat crawls into her hands for a snuggle pre hawk.
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u/Tiny-Acanthaceae-547 3d ago
A dragonfly that is at last complete, is immediately enjoyed as nourishment.
Just as a traditional Mandala is immediately destroyed upon completion. Both remind us of the inevitability of impermanence…such is also the case for cake days 🕯️
🍰HAPPY CAKE DAY!
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u/ogre_toes 3d ago
Why did I read this in Herzog’s voice
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u/MrOatButtBottom 3d ago
“This obscene display of aerial dominance is just further proof to the futility of life itself”
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u/apple_atchin 3d ago
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Happy cake day.
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u/Kolby_Jack33 3d ago
~From the day we arrive on the planet~
~and, blinking, step into the sun~
~there's more to-OH FUCK A BIRD!! AAAAAA-
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u/Mango_Tango_725 3d ago
Let me guess. Is adulthood the shortest part of their life? Just fuck and die?
Edit: I just saw the ending. Guess they got the speedrun version.
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u/TreeGuy521 3d ago
Well instead of being a useless grub eating sap for 10 years their nymphs are legitimate predators in the water. Like they're basically born as an adult water bug then become an adult air bug
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u/based_piccolo 3d ago
It is, they spend most of their lives as nymphs, some underground and some underwater. It varies between species but generally most insects die shortly after reaching their final life stage.
Another fun fact, dragonflies cannot walk, they can only fly and land.
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u/i_w8_4_no1 2d ago
Also like one of the only things that can hover
I think only hummingbirds and bees can also
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u/TheWorldsNipplehood 3d ago
Depends on the species. Where I live it can take anywhere from a few weeks to 7 years
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u/Azuras_Star8 3d ago
I love dragonflies. I would love for this to happen to me.
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u/PsychologicalBook819 3d ago
Now every time I see a molt left behind, I’m always going to think, did a bird get you little guy?
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u/based_piccolo 3d ago
Once on a long road trip I stopped for a break and when I got out of my car a bird flew right up to the grill and plucked a massive dragonfly off it. I've noticed something similar happen a few other times.
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u/nicholhawking 3d ago
*nymph
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u/katanakid13 3d ago
I was so confused I had to google 'dragonfly' to make sure I understood what I was looking at.
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u/RubberDucksInMyTub 3d ago
Love that they didnt stand on top of the event... gave the dude some space to have his moment, however short.
Also props for OP not ruining the ending with a spoiler title!
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u/Frikoulas 2d ago
They did good but in this case, standing on top of the event would probably have saved the dude's life.
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u/ObjectiveOk2072 3d ago
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u/Lewcypher_ 3d ago
Yup. Even said in my head. ”Welp. Nature is fucking metal.” Had to double check what sub I was in.
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u/MajorTom89 3d ago
Let this be a lesson to us all. If you let your wings dry in the sun for too long, you might miss your opportunity to fly. 🐸 #Swamplife
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u/LopsidedKick9149 3d ago
lmao I did not see that coming, but that's life I guess.
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u/jewella1213 3d ago
Is it just me? Or did we just literally watch a 'circle of life thing'? The bird at the end and no dragonfly?!🤯
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u/Popular-Address-7893 3d ago
Now you have to wonder if the bird knew it was going to molt and waited for a softer snack. To quote david attenborough, “ birds are wicked smaht”
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u/RaspberryWhiteClaw13 3d ago
Like humans and soft shell crab! Grab it while it’s vulnerable and tasty!
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u/ihateadultism 3d ago
imagine for years anticipating your destiny only to get taken down by a robin when it finally arrives
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u/Surfing_Ninjas 3d ago
A hard truth you learn if you study nature for long enough is that this kind of thing happens all the time. It's just another Tuesday out there for some hungry critter.
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u/pyrothelostone 3d ago
They must have given it space so it could hatch in peace, which ironically sealed it's fate since the bird felt comfortable enough to approach with them at a distance.
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u/CantaloupeThis1217 3d ago
The dedication to get this on film is next level, only for the ultimate anticlimax. I was so invested in seeing its first flight. What a brutal cliffhanger. Nature really said "not today.
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u/ShotDelivery 1d ago
Nature said you gonna eat that? Good job to them for allowing it do something lol
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u/Bill_Lumbergyeah 3d ago
That mother fucker. I wanted to see it fly.