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A male indigo dropwing dragonfly (trithemis festiva) in a near-vertical obelisk posture, a handstand-like pose in which the dragonfly points its abdomen tip (its “tail end”) towards the sun. This posture minimizes the body’s surface-area exposure to the sun’s heat, and therefore helps the dragonfly to regulate its body temperature.

Photo inspired by Barry Medlin’s dragonfly work and Matthew Ng’s crimson darter capture, both on EarthSky. Research on the obelisk pose inspired by the dragonfly.