>Casually is a living fossil
>>4799432If Odonata are such successful predators, then how come no other insects have evolved a similar body plan? Have they just outcompeted everything that otherwise would have? The closest thing to an exception I can think of are antlions.
>>4799438A bunch of robber flies are pretty similar
>>4799438>have evolved a similar body plan?Because that isn't how evolution worksThe median phases are likely less fit in a present environment, thus aren't selected for
>>4799432How old are they exactly? How have they survived like this
>>4800131theyve been around since when creatures with a spine got on to land, the only thing that threw a wrench in their evolutionary plan was aerial predators, but you know, theyre still around and all those predators kept going extinct
>>4799438The niche has been filled. It's like asking why manual laborers don't own the banks.