科學圖說

蜻蜓鞭炮(Dragonfly Firecrackers)

每年冬天在臺南山區，一小群線紋蜻蜓會固定停棲在某個小區域的植物上。白天氣溫升高時，四散在附近覓食，下午氣溫開始下降時，又會回到同樣的地方。通常是選擇下垂的樹枝或是藤蔓停棲，保持靜止不動度過夜晚，直到隔日又重複相同的過程。聚集行為年年冬天在此地上演，遠望去如同懸掛一串鞭炮，因此戲稱為「鞭炮蜻蜓」，箇中原因並不清楚？留待昆蟲學家解謎。

Every winter in the hills of Tainan, a small group of line forest-skimmer dragonflies (Cratilla lineata) gather on a plant. During the day, as the temperature rises, they scatter and search for the food. In the late afternoon, as the temperature starts to decrease, they return. They usually choose a drooping branch or vine on which to perch, remaining motionless throughout the night. The next day they repeat the process. This behavior has been observed over many winters. From a distance, they look like a string of firecrackers, from which this image gets its title. The function of this behavior remains a mystery that entomologists have yet to solve.