Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Deep Look

Here’s How That Annoying Fly Dodges Your Swatter

Season 7 Episode 20

A fly has a pair of tiny, dumbbell-shaped limbs called halteres that were once a second pair of wings. They wield them to make razor-sharp turns and land out of reach on your ceiling. But don't despair – there *is* a trick to smacking these infuriating insects.

Only Available with Passport Starting
Support Provided By
Season
You've Heard of a Murder of Crows. How About a Crow Funeral?
3:50
Crow funerals aren't the solemn events that we hold for our dead. What's really going on?
Why Do Tumbleweeds Tumble?
3:04
To reproduce, vibrant tumbleweeds need to turn into rolling brown skeletons.
Upside-Down Catfish Doesn't Care What You Think
3:15
This catfish looks confused, but swimming belly-up helps it camouflage and breathe better.
Take Two Leeches and Call Me in the Morning
3:11
Once used for questionable treatments, leeches now help doctors to reattach body parts.
How Ticks Dig In With a Mouth Full of Hooks
3:32
A tick uses a mouth of hooks to cling to you. But there *is* a way to pull it out.
So... Sometimes Fireflies Eat Other Fireflies
3:13
Most firefly flashes are pure romance. One copycat uses them to lure others to their doom.
For Pacific Mole Crabs It's Dig or Die
3:28
Some very special physics help Pacific mole crabs dig with astonishing speed.
This Plant Looks Like Raw Meat and Smells Like Dead Rat
3:49
With flowers hidden inside, the corpse flower plays dead to lure some unusual pollinators.
Why the Male Black Widow is a Real Home Wrecker
4:42
The female black widow has a bad reputation, but her male counterpart is a total jerk.
Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think
4:14
When it comes to hooking up, male mantises have good reason to fear commitment.
It’s a Goopy Mess When Pines and Beetles Duke it Out
3:50
Pine beetles can fell a mighty ponderosa pine, but the forest fights back. Who will win?
These Whispering, Walking Bats Are Onto Something
3:43
Bat echolocation is loud, so some bats have hit on a sneakier, scrappier way to hunt.
Active loading indicator