How Are Flies So Evasive?
WouterFlies are incredibly fast and agile. They can change direction in a matter of milliseconds, or 50 times faster than the blink of an eye. Changing direction in an instant allows them to escape from a perceived threat. A fly can also alter its course to avoid danger by shifting its body weight in the opposite direction, which increases their speed and maneuverability.
The biomechanics of insect flight has been the subject of extensive study. Researchers have discovered that fruit flies have an ability to execute banked turns at a high rate of speed. Their wings are also modified to allow them to perform these movements more quickly than their regular flight movements.
Flies can also use the strength of their wings to regulate their turn magnitude. The mechanical response allows them to make quick changes in direction without interrupting the flow of neural signals. Fly vision is also faster than ours, which is important for avoiding obstacles. Nevertheless, a small fly’s ability to turn and counterbank is limited by the speed of its motor and sensory processes.
Flies have a very high sensitivity to light. This makes them much more sensitive than human eyesight, enabling them to detect a flickering light up to 146 times a second. This is more than twice as fast as a human can see a light, but still slower than a human.
