Hello folks who wonder if scrolling on Instagram is like making your thumb exercise by walking it on a treadmill,

Let's imagine you were a kid for a second during the initial days of the COVID pandemic era. So there is nothing better to do than play with a ball in the kitchen that is off limits for toys. But you like to go against the establishment. "Little rebel" is what you call yourself, because no one else will. One day after several warnings by your mom not to play in the kitchen, you throw the ball a little harder and it ends up hitting the juice jug. At that point you have two options to clean up the juice spill. The first option is to soak all the juice using a sponge or the second option is to sip all the spilled juice using your boba straws. (I knew you would say use a paper towel, that is why I had to bring in the COVID era precondition)


One of the most selfish things anyone can do during the start of the pandemic is to go outside. That is why when this fly got stuck with me in my apartment and pleaded to let it outside, I had to explain that I can't compromise the health of someone's granny because it wanted to be in nature. Think about the society, not about yourself, you selfish prick! And wash your hands every 30 seconds for at least 20 seconds, I don't want you to spread COVID to me. Below is the heartbroken fly reminiscing about what life was like before the pandemic.


One of the ingenious ways flies have evolved to exploit their environment is by developing specialized mouthparts that help them soak their food quickly before it is swatted or displaced by a larger insect or animal. Here is how the fly mouthpart looks up-close.


Just like the proboscis of a butterfly, it is retracted when not in use. As soon as it lands on your soda can or on a flower, it extends its proboscis and starts soaking up the sugary liquid. Observe how this blowfly makes sure it has soaked each area of the flower before moving to the next flower.


Now if observing the regular run of the mill flies is not your cup of kombucha, I recommend you to find a fresh batch of cow poop or dung. Fresh cow dung is interpreted as free daycare by several insects. Over there you might stumble into several yellow-colored fuzzy flies eagerly waiting for their turn to shine on Instagram.


At first, you might look at that and say "that's cool" and move on. But then you would miss out on the fun. What is happening on the cow dung is a bunch of male yellow dung flies impatiently waiting for a female fly who has her Facebook status as single to land on this dung so they can mate with her.

If you look around the cow dung you might even see a male and female indulging in a little Bow chicka wow wow on a neighboring plant. Oh my, this couple likes it rough. The yellow-colored fly is the male and the females are generally drab colored.


There is intense competition among the males to ensure it is their genes that get passed along. So, if and when a female mates with another male outside the dung arena, the males on the dung will actively try to dig out the sperm of their competitor before releasing their sperm. In a way the one who mates the last with the female has the highest chance of ensuring most of the babies have their genes. I did not have any good visuals for this phenomenon, so here is a dog digging up snow and I will let your imagination do the rest.


While waiting for a female to land on the cow dung, the males will boss each other around to show who is the highest in the pecking order. Hint: it's usually the largest one or the one with the most number of twitter followers.


As soon as the female fly lands, one of the males will jump on to her and start mating without asking for consent first. I suspect a #metoo movement for these flies might be just around the corner. If only they can set up a HR department first. Here is a male guarding a female so no other male mates with her before she can lay her eggs. That is till...


.. a group of other jelly males start fighting over paternity rights. "Guys, you are fighting over shit, you realize that right?" I said before moving on. I wasn't wrong if you think about it.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies calicoflower canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches common murres coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals eucalyptus european starlings eyes farallon island ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls gannet geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull gulls harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil puffins pupa quail rabbits rat roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters sea urchin seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vernal pool vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wildflower wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...