Anal propulsion and rectal throttling. In this episode, we get to both dive into, and soar through, the world of dragonflies. Tom chats with naturalist and dragonfly afficionado Neil Phillips about all things odonata. We discuss the adaptations that make dragonflies the natural world's most succesful predators, explore their lifecycle, and delve into the ancient world of the griffinflies, the dragonfly's ancient predecessor. We explore a little insect existentialism, thinking about the way we make sense of insect lives, and discover the beautiful poem 'Akatombo' or 'Red Dragonfly'.