Housefly: Encyclopedia II - Housefly - Typical behaviors

Housefly - Typical behaviors

Houseflies can only take in liquid foods. They spit out saliva on solid foods to pre-digest it, and then suck it back in. They also throw up partially digested matter and eat it again.

The flies can walk on vertical planes, and can even hang upside down from ceilings. This is accomplished with the surface tension of liquids secreted by glands near their feet.

Lacking eyelids, the flies continually clean their eyes with their forelegs. Most of their taste and smell sensor cells are on hairs on their legs, this is why they also keep rubbing their legs together.

Flies have a very highly-evolved evasion reaction which helps to ensure their survival. It is possible to confuse a fly´s evasion system by swatting it with two objects simultaneously from different directions. The holes in a fly swatter minimise the air current which warns the fly of being hit, whilst reducing air resistance and increasing speed of the swat.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Typical behaviors", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki