Maria Mazo, Dragonfly mating season (ANIMAL 2022)

Dragonflies have a uniquely complex mode of reproduction involving indirect insemination, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition. During mating, the male grasps the female at the back of the head, and the female curls her abdomen under her body to pick up sperm from the male's secondary genitalia at the front of his abdomen, forming the "heart" or "wheel" posture.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.