Flies are perhaps the most annoying creatures on the planet. You likely wave them away from your face without a second thought. However, these pests possess superpowers like slow-motion vision and 360-degree sight. They have conquered every continent, including Antarctica. Furthermore, they help solve crimes and heal wounds. Let’s explore the life of the insect we love to hate.
Flies
Houseflies taste their food entirely with their feet. Upon landing on your sandwich, they walk around to determine if it is edible. Thus, they are technically licking your lunch before they even lower their mouths.
They cannot chew solid food because they have no teeth. Instead, they vomit digestive enzymes onto the food to dissolve it into a liquid. Then, they suck up the resulting soup like a smoothie.
Time actually passes more slowly for a fly than it does for a human. Their brains process visual information roughly seven times faster than ours. Consequently, your hand looks like it is moving in slow motion when you try to swat them.
Blowflies act as the first responders in forensic science. They can smell a decaying body from miles away and arrive within minutes of death. Therefore, police use the age of the maggots to determine the exact time a crime occurred.
A specific species of fly lives permanently in Antarctica. The Belgica antarctica is the largest purely terrestrial animal on the frozen continent. Surprisingly, it has no wings because the strong winds would blow it away.
Flies rely on two tiny organs called halteres to keep their balance. These club-shaped structures act like gyroscopes to stabilize them during flight. Without them, the insect would spiral out of control immediately after takeoff.
Doctors still use sterilized maggots to clean difficult wounds. These larvae eat only the dead and infected tissue while leaving the healthy skin alone. This ancient medical practice saves limbs when modern antibiotics fail.
They defecate every time they land, which is roughly every few minutes. Since they have a very simple digestive system, food passes through them incredibly fast. This habit makes them one of the most effective spreaders of bacteria.
A fly performs a complex gymnastic roll to land on a ceiling. It flies toward the surface, grabs it with its front legs, and then cartwheels the rest of its body over. It does not just fly upside down and touch the roof.
NASA sent fruit flies into space before they sent humans. Scientists used them to test the effects of cosmic radiation on DNA. Thus, these tiny insects were some of the very first astronauts in history.
Their eyes provide them with a nearly 360-degree field of vision. Unlike humans, they can see danger approaching from directly behind them. This panoramic view explains why it is so difficult to sneak up on them.
The common housefly usually lives for only about 28 days. However, in that short time, a female can lay up to 500 eggs. This rapid reproduction ensures their species survives despite their short lifespan.
They carry over 65 different diseases known to humans. Their legs and mouths transport pathogens like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Therefore, seeing one on your plate is a genuine health hazard.
True flies belong to the order Diptera, meaning they have only two wings. Most other insects, like bees and dragonflies, possess four wings. The second pair on a fly evolved into the balancing halteres mentioned earlier.
They clean themselves constantly throughout the day. Although they live in filth, they are obsessive about grooming their eyes and legs. You often see them rubbing their hands together to remove dust and particles.
