There are a few contenders for the title of biggest dragonfly in the world, including the giant hawker Tetracanthagyna plagiata from South-east Asia and Australia’s giant petaltail Petalura ingentissima, both of which have wingspans of approximately 16cm (compared to 12cm for the largest UK species). These are also likely to be the heaviest odonates – the group that includes the more delicate damselflies.

But in terms of wingspan, the helicopter damselfly Megaloprepus caerulatus from the Central American rainforests is the biggest dragonfly, with a spread of 19cm.

Fearsome predators, adults often feed on orb-weaver spiders in the forest understory, while the naiad prey on tadpoles and aquatic insects.

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Nonetheless, even this spectacular creature is dwarfed by the ancestral odonates that ruled the skies before vertebrates moved into aerial niches. Fuelled by the oxygen-rich atmosphere of the Permian, they attained wingspans of 75cm.