Cobra Clubtail

My favorite type of dragonfly are the members of the Gomphidae family, or clubtail dragonflies. They are named because many species have a narrow abdomen which widens at the end forming a club shape. The club is usually larger in the males then in the females and some clubtail species do not have much of a club at all. It is still easy to identify species that lack a club as members of the Gomphidae family because members of Gomphidae are the only dragonflies that have noticeably separated eyes. The cobra clubtail, pictured here, has a large club. The only species in this region with a larger club is the skillet clubtail. Like many species of clubtails the cobra is found primarily around rivers. I photographed this cobra clubtail by where the Snake River empties out into the St Croix River.