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Flies

Discussion in 'Whatnots' started by kuemper, May 8, 2006.

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  1. Maurolava

    Maurolava Neither to go back, nor to take impulse Veteran

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    Remove all ads!
    I was not a fly, the biggest flies (that I know of) grow to about 75mm Wing-spans.

    But there is some other species that looks like a fly that are much bigger!
     
    Maurolava, May 9, 2006
    #21
  2. Ziad

    Ziad I speak in rebuses Veteran

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    Hey, I'm a biologist. I took a one year course in entomology. And until you asked the question I was really convinced I had forgotten everything I'd learner in that one year :)

    teekc has listed a number of very good reasons why insects have a competitive advantage by staying small, but the "academic" reason (ie the one you usually find in textbooks) is the one HB talks about: surface to volume ratio. This isn't just restricted to insects by the way. Ever wondered why cells are so small? Same answer. Note that the biggest known cells are nerve cells (some are macroscopic in length, which is remarkable for cells), and these are not big by simply "puffing up", but by being much more elongated in one direction in space, therefore they have a larger volume, but also a much larger surface area.

    Flies are generally quite small (and rather ugly if you ask me). If you've seen something big that looked like a fly, chances are it was some other fly-like insect (there's lots of those around). Some dragonflies are bigger, longer, nastier-looking, but in fact they are completely unrelated to flies (and are nowhere as filthy as flies)

    Horseflies on the other hand ARE true flies, and they are the biggest flies you'll see. More annoying than flies too, as their bite can be quite painful. Some are bloodsuckers, and have a rather creative way of doing it: rather than "biting", they slash the skin open.
     
    Ziad, May 9, 2006
    #22
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