Dragonflies Mating

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Photographed at Karnala Bird Sanctuary a couple of weeks ago. This pair landed in front of me for a few seconds, this is the best shot I could get.

The male (on the right) grasps the back of the female's head using a pair of claspers at the tip of his abdomen. They fly around for upto 15 minutes in this position. The females then curls her abdomen downwards and forwards to reach the male's abdomen to mate. This forms a shape somewhat like a heart, called the 'wheel' position. This lasts a few seconds, after which they separate.
Interestingly, male dragonflies are known to catch unwary females, thus "forcing" them to mate.

Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/640
Av (Aperture Value) 5.6
Exposure Compensation -1/3
ISO Speed 100
White Balance Cloudy

Thanks for looking, coments and critiques awaited...