House Fly (Musca Domestica) GIANTmicrobe Plush

DESCRIPTION

Ever been on a farm? Ever been to a dump? Maybe a picnic with friends and family? If so, you’ve probably encountered a bunch of these pesky creatures. House flies are common to poultry farms, horse stables and ranches and can be found in homes as well. House flies feed on fecal matter, discharges from wounds and sores, sputum, and all sorts of moist decaying matter such as spoiled fish, eggs and meat. Because of their feces-filled diet, these common flies are known to transmit all sorts of diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, and tuberculosis. That’s why it’s crucial to get rid of these fellas!

NAME

Musca Domestica

ACTUAL SIZE

Less than 4 to 7.5 mm long

WHERE IT LIVES

As the name implies, house flies can be found in homes or indoors in corners and edges or on thin objects. House flies can also be found outside, typically on plants, the ground, fence wires, garbage cans, etc.

HISTORY

The house fly branched off the same ancestral tree as mosquitoes and march flies 50 million years ago.

The house fly originated in the wet environment of central Asia and fed off of any nutrient-rich substance.

The house fly can now be found all over the world, in all continents, in an array of climates, from tropical to temperate, and in a variety of environments, from rural to urban.

FASCINATING FACTS

Have you ever seen a house fly rubbings its legs together? House flies do this to clean themselves, since they rely on their compound eyes, antennae, and hairs to sense the world around them. Their small hairs actually serve as taste organs!

House flies cannot bite foods. House flies instead sponge up liquids. When dealing with solid foods, however, house flies regurgitate saliva (spit) on the food, which then liquefies the solid food to be sponged up by the proboscis (the long tube-like mouth).