Fly is the common name of various species of flying insects belonging to the order Diptera (Diptera): there are more than 120,000 different species.
But, despite their size and the fact that they usually only constitute a nuisance during the summer, These creatures are much more exceptional than they seem.
A homely and elusive creature
- Flies can travel 6 million times their body length in one flight, according to a recent study. Fruit flies can fly up to 15 kilometers in a single trip, 6 million times the length of your body, or the equivalent of more than 10,000 kilometers for the average human being. Compared to body length, this is more than many species of migratory birds can fly in a day.
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Under the influence of alcohol, flies too They are sexually similar to humans. What was found is that alcohol consumption did not affect the duration of copulation, but it reduced female choice and weakened the strength of mate preference, since females mated more quickly and with more males after consuming alcohol, potentially reducing the strength of sexual selection.
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The molecular motors that make wings flap repeatedly They have an energy efficiency rate of up to 40%. That is to say, by doing some calculations we can answer a curious question: How many flies would be necessary to pull a car? 200 million.
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Flies, depending on the species, They can live for very different times. But there is a myth that we must debunk: Mayflies don't live only 24 hours, dedicated exclusively to sex. Depending on the species, it can even live less than a day, or more. But that's just the final stage of life: mayflies spend most of their existence as aquatic nymphs, a period that can last anywhere from several months to four years.
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There is a very special type of fly in scientific studies. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a small insect about 3 millimeters long that grows on ripe fruit. Every week there is news of new scientific contributions that start from studying this small organism. It is small in size, with a life cycle of about two weeks, affordable maintenance and produces very numerous offspring. Numerous mutations also arise in its genes and its complete genome has already been sequenced.
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It consists of 3 pairs of legs that act as limbs that have adhesive pads that allow them to walk on smooth surfaces such as glass, even upside down.
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A great reaction speed. Flies are able to process what they see and react to it incredibly quickly, to put it in perspective: our brain processes around 60 images per second, while a fly can process up to 250 per second.
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These insects have been revered by different cultures over the centuries, with the Egyptian culture being one of those that paid the most tribute to flies. In fact, flies were seen by the pharaohs as synonymous with bravery and resistance to the enemy.
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He tries things through his paws. Flies have taste pupils in the last sections of their legs, so they can taste the taste of anything just by landing, from animal feces to your food.
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The head is small compared to the abdomen, and there are large, red eyes composed of thousands of individually light-sensitive facets (ommatidia) that they constantly clean by rubbing their legs, arranged in circles and that are connected directly to the brain.
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The house fly practically vomits digestive juices on solid food, these juices are capable of dissolving your plate into small parts allowing you to now use your mouth to take food, a process called "proboscis." This can be perfectly seen in a terrifying scene from the movie The Fly.
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A single fruit fly can lay 500 eggs in its lifetime, and the life cycle from egg to adulthood only lasts about a week.
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Since house flies usually feed on feces, garbage and decaying animals and lay eggs there and in other disgusting places, the common house fly is believed to transmit at least 65 diseases to people, including diarrhea, dysentery or cholera.
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The news
12 extraordinary curiosities about flies, one of the most repudiated animals
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.