The species is that of the title as the most powerful predators in the animal kingdom? If you thought it was a lion or a shark species, think back to your answer. Therefore, a recent study showed that the greatest predators in the animal kingdom is the dragonfly.

African lion was recorded as carnivores peaks in the food chain. However, the big cat is only able to capture 25 percent of the total prey they pursue. Great white sharks fared little better luck. Top predators in the ocean with 300 gear cutter is successful only half of the total catch prey they hunt.

Dragonfly, on the contrary, looks tiny, shimmering, and is known as the insects are harmless. Even dragonflies, along with butterflies and ladybugs, grouped in a list of preferred insects humans.

However, behind the appearance of "friendly" it, dragonfly air proved to be a very voracious predator. Recent research conducted by a team of scientists at Rutgers University in the United States shows, dragonfly hunting a most brutal and effective in the animal kingdom.

The team of scientists noted, dragonfly capable of capturing almost all their prey with a success rate reached 95 percent. Even dragonfly often eat prey while still fly, without having to bother alighted onto the leaves or twigs.

"Dragonflies will tear up the body of the prey and continues to chew up the form clots before they swallow," said Michael L. Mei, a professor emeritus of entomology at Rutgers, as quoted New York Times, Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

Dragonfly appetite practically endless. Stacey Combes, a biomechanics researcher at Harvard University who studies how to fly dragonfly, dragonfly never witnessed an experiment in the laboratory eating fruit flies out 30 in a row. "Dragonflies will continue to eat as long as there is food," he said.

A number of studies published recently have uncovered the key features of the brain, eyes, and dragonfly wings that allow the insects that hunt their prey without hesitation. One study showed, dragonfly nervous system displays almost the same capacity as humans, especially for selective attention. That is, the dragonfly is able to focus on a single prey being targeted, although prey that fly in the midst of another swarm of flying insects.

Other researchers have identified the existence of some sort of center contains 16 circuits of nerve cells that connect the brain to the motor center dragonfly flying in the chest. A set of the nervous system allows the dragonfly can track a moving target, calculate the trajectory to intercept the target, and subtly adjust the flight path to capture the target.

Robert M. Olberg from Union College, who reported his research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found evidence that dragonflies path intercept prey sailors used similar tricks. With the myriad eyes, the dragonfly can predict the direction of flying prey, including the angle and speed, then the estimate of flying alone to capture the prey. Dragonflies know when to slow down, speed up, and fly deviate.

Dragonflies belong to different hunting technique to that done by most predators. Combes had thought dragonfly actively pursue their prey, like a lion chasing its prey. However, it is not. "It was more like an ambush predation. Dragonflies are coming from the direction which is not recognized by their prey," he said.

Dragonflies including sophisticated flying insects. They can hover in the air, diving in the water, fly backward and upside down, rotating 360 degrees with three wings and reach speeds of 30 miles per hour - incredible for a arthropods.

Dragonfly wings is also different from other types of insects. In most insects, the wing is a simple extension of the thoracic and moved as a special unit to stretch across the chest.

However, the dragonfly has four transparent wings that ultrafleksibel and attached to the thorax by a separate muscle. Each wing can maneuver independently, allowing dragonflies perform various flight maneuvers. "A dragonfly can lose the whole wings and could still catch prey," said Combes.