The Prehistoric Dragonfly, Older than the Dinosaurs (Article in Progress)

The Prehistoric Dragonfly

Older than the Dinosaurs

Dr Abe V Rotor

Anisoptera dragonfly, Order Odonata.  Photo by the author 2026

Living with Nature Garden. San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Tutubing Kalabaw, literally Carabao Dragonfly, owing to its big size, 

the biggest of all dragonflies today, though minuscule 

to its prehistoric ancestors. Photo by the author

“Tutubi, tutubi, ‘wag ka papahuli sa batang salbahe 

[Dragonfly, dragonfly, don’t let a bad child catch you]

* Prehistoric dragonflies, known as griffinflies, were enormous flying insects with wingspans up to 75 cm, far larger than any modern dragonfly, scientifically classified under the extinct order Meganisoptera (often called griffinflies), lived during the Late Carboniferous to the Permian period, roughly 317 to 247 million years ago. They were predatory insects resembling modern dragonflies but were not true dragonflies. Notable genera include Meganeura and Meganeuropsis, which dominated the skies long before birds, bats, or pterosaurs evolved. Wikipedia