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Can you imagine having eyes that allow you to see 360º? How different the world would look!
Believe it or not, dragonflies have this ability, partly because their (large) eyes occupy almost their entire head, allowing them to look in all directions. They have only one blind spot directly behind their heads. Additionally, their eyes are composed of 30,000 visual units called ommatidia, each of which contains a lens and a series of light-sensitive cells. They can also see in multi-color, thanks to light-sensitive proteins called opsins. Humans have opsins sensitive to three different types of light: green, red, and blue, and we see color as a combination of these three (trichromatic vision). In the case of dragonflies, they possess no less than 11 types of opsins, allowing them to see even ultraviolet light and polarized light.
The Remarkable Vision of Dragonfly: Understanding Ocelli
Dragonflies also have three small eyes called ocelli that can detect movement faster than their large compound eye; these ocelli quickly send visual information to the dragonfly’s motor centers, allowing it to react in a fraction of a second (which may explain their formidable acrobatic abilities).
This incredible vision makes dragonflies excellent hunters, as they can judge the speed and trajectory of their prey and adjust their own to intercept them. They can also focus on an individual within a swarm and fly in the midst of it without colliding with other insects. They are so skilled that their success rate exceeds 95% of hunted prey. Among their prey are flies and mosquitoes, making them excellent biological control for these insects.
At Mashpi, our “Dragonfly” allows you to experience a sensation similar to what these insects feel as they fly through the forest. Sliding along the cable in an open basket gives you a 360° view of this magnificent ecosystem, the Chocó Forest. The Mashpi dragonfly travels at a leisurely speed and allows us to see life in the treetops, with branches covered in moss and epiphytes, from a completely different perspective. Visit us and be part of this unique experience.
