Can you carry an object weighing 3000 kilograms? We can’t, but an ant does! There are many other secrets about insects that can arouse your interest. For example, flies do not ‘work overtime’, they will only come out during the day. So where do flies go at night? Why are flies attracted to light? Scroll down to discover facts about insects and mammals that may be living in your home.
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Termites: Vampires That Never Sleep
Did you believe that these little insects can eat wood 24 hours a day without sleeping? This continuous infestation of termites can quickly lead to costly repairs and structural damage.
Luckily, these indomitable non-sleep insects do have fear. Termites are afraid of the light (so are vampires). They can even die if exposed to sunlight!
Ants: Muscular Little Kids
If We Had The Same Muscle Proportions As Ants, We Could Lift A Hyundai Over Our Heads!
Can you carry an object weighing 3000 kilograms? We can’t, but an ant does!
I mean, they can carry weight more than 50 times their body weight.
These sweet-food lovers do take advantage of their tiny bodies. Compared to their size, their muscle proportions are thicker than those of any larger animals or even humans. This ratio allows the food-lovers to work more efficiently and carry large objects, especially sweetened food.
In other words, if we had the same muscle proportions as ants, we could lift a Hyundai over our heads!
Total Ant Biomass Equivalent To That Of A Human
The total biomass of all the ants is equivalent to that of all the humans on earth. How is that possible? Ants are tiny, and humans are huge!
To clarify, scientists have estimated that for every 1 person on earth, there are at least 1.5 million ants. More than 12,000 ant species exist on all continents except Antarctica. An ant nest in the Amazon rainforest can hold 3.5 million ants.
Flies: The Insect Adhering To ‘Work-Life Balance’
Where Do Flies Go At Night? Do Flies Sleep At Night?
A research study clearly confirmed that flies do sleep. It also indicated that the flies’ sleeping cycle has many other similarities to humans’. In other words, the sleep cycle in flies also has 2 stages: Light sleep and deep sleep. (Indeed, even the tiniest animal brains require enough sleep to keep working properly.)
At night, flies often rest in sheltered places such as floors, ceilings, walls, fences, lawns, under leaves, grasses, or tree trunks. They don’t have a nest or a colony. These flies just seek out a place to settle and rest, which can be anywhere. Then they sleep there till the sun rises again.
This is the same answer for the question ‘where do flies go when it rains?’. They retreat to the shelters, which can be underside surfaces such as leaves or sheltered spots to get out of the rain.
Other Similarities Between Fly And Human Sleep
- Like humans, increased sleep deprivation in flies can even affect their memory.
- Baby flies need more sleep than adult ones for their brain development.
- Some drugs and caffeine also affect a fly’s sleep cycle.
Why Don’t We Usually See Flies At Night? Why Are Flies Attracted To Light?
Most flies are active throughout the day, but not during the night. They need light to help them navigate.
Moreover, the temperature is a little bit lower at night, making them inactive, lazy, and lethargic.
House Mice’s Brotherhood (Not Mickey House Of Mouse As You May Think)
Mice are very gregarious. They care for injured or sick ones in the same group. When tested between eating chocolate or helping other mice, the mouse often turned to help their fellows. When not living or being raised with a couple or a fellow human being, they tend to suffer from depression due to loneliness.
Mice are also strongly influenced by the herd. They can accept eating what they don’t like if others in the herd eat it.
There is another fact that mice are cleaner than cats or dogs. Mice spend several hours a day cleaning themselves and their fellows, far more than cats and dogs.
Any Other Secrets?
Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, and we see them almost every day, anywhere, at any time. However, there are still many things about these multi-legged living creatures that we have not known. It seems there are as many secrets about them as there are legs! If you like discoveries like these, visit our Science section. Read more in Jobandedu.
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