b'Dragonflies and damselflies are incredible insects. They are arguably the world\\u2019s most skilled fliers, arguably the world\\u2019s most successful predators, and arguably the best insects (so says David). Not only that, they and their ancient cousins have been abundant and successful aerial predators for over 300 million years. This episode, we discuss what sets these bugs apart from all the rest, we explore what\\u2019s known of their evolution from their surprisingly good fossil record, and of course we highlight their most famous extinct cousins: the giant griffenflies.\\nIn the news: croc habitats, tyrannosaur food, elephant trunks, and early mosquitos.\\nTime markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:04:30Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:15Main discussion, Part 2: 01:13:15Patron question: 01:53:45\\nCheck out our website for this episode\\u2019s blog post and more:http://commondescentpodcast.com/\\nJoin us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast\\nGot a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here:https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/\\nWe\\u2019re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible: https://www.audibletrial.com/CommonDescent\\nLots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent\\nThe Intro and Outro music is \\u201cOn the Origin of Species\\u201d by Protodome.More music like this at http://ocremix.org.\\nMusical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/'