Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Jakub Liu on 12/07/2008 17:22:41

Title: What were the small white creatures that crawled from the body of a dead fly?
Post by: Jakub Liu on 12/07/2008 17:22:41
Jakub Liu asked the Naked Scientists:

Hi Dr.Chris,

my name is Jakub, 8.5 years old. I have the following question: Once I killed a fly, then I saw white creatures crawling out of its body, looking like slugs. What were they?

Regards, Jakub

What do you think?
Title: What were the small white creatures that crawled from the body of a dead fly?
Post by: blakestyger on 12/07/2008 18:27:10
Did they crawl out or were they ejected when the fly was squashed - I've seen this happen and they were, in that case, the eggs that the fly would have laid sometime later. I'd really need to have seen it to be sure and I may be wrong and there is another explanation - we'll see what turns up.
Title: What were the small white creatures that crawled from the body of a dead fly?
Post by: chris on 13/07/2008 16:32:38
Do any flies rear their young inside their bodies? Could these have been future progeny?

Female flies certainly carry with them a supply of sperm conserved from their last mating. This is used to fertilise eggs subsequently, or until another mating takes place. The penis of male fruit flies is equipped with a digging tool to enable them to root out from the female any sperm already present to  enable them to "displace" the genes of competitors.

Chris
Title: What were the small white creatures that crawled from the body of a dead fly?
Post by: blakestyger on 13/07/2008 18:03:48
Quote from: chris on 13/07/2008 16:32:38
The penis of male fruit flies is equipped with a digging tool

Like a sort of Swiss Army penis - the possibilities are endless.
Title: What were the small white creatures that crawled from the body of a dead fly?
Post by: rosalind dna on 13/07/2008 18:45:18
They might be the eggs of the fly or maggots which look like
transparent earth worms.