Are flies stupid enough not to find the exit to go outside? Not so sure… If they keep bumping into window glass, it’s not because of their intelligence. There’s another reason at play.
The Fly Isn’t Completely Stupid…
Whether buzzing around us or circling food, the housefly has a knack for getting under our skin. To quiet its buzzing and its incessant comings and goings, there’s only one cure: get it out of the room. Yet once you open a window, you’ll often have to wait for the fly to leave. Conversely, when a window is closed, the fly frequently bombs into the glass to escape. And this happens even when the glass is actually open…
Is the fly contrarian by nature? Is the fly utterly stupid? The answer lies elsewhere, and it is scientifically proven.
An Insect That Can See 360 Degrees
Rather than being “near-sighted as a mole,” we’d do better to say “near-sighted as a fly.” And for good reason: it has poor vision. In fact, the fly’s eyes are unusually large for the rest of its head. Composed of ommatidiae, little facets that capture light independently, the fly’s eyes give it a very wide field of view. A little disco-ball vibe that makes the fly look like it’s got its own light show!
The fly can see 360 degrees and distinguish 200 images per second, compared with 24 for humans. As a result, the fly can even see behind itself. No wonder it’s so hard to catch!
But the Fly Doesn’t See Details!
The fly’s eyes and their ommatidia have a catch. They don’t let it perceive fine details. That’s why the fly is effectively nearsighted and can’t orient itself properly in space.
When the fly does manage to squeeze out through a window, it’s largely a matter of luck. It’s certainly not thanks to its eyes. Nor to its antennas, which are supposed to help with orientation. In fact, the flies’ antennas do not distinguish natural light from artificial light, and they are unable to determine whether the light comes from inside or outside a room. This is what explains why flies spend so much time banging into the glass…
