Super fly the unexpected lives of the world's most successful insects

"For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Balcombe, Jonathan P. (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Penguin Books, [2021]
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Summary:"For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem in the world as pollinators, waste-disposers, predators, and food source; and how flies continue to reshape our understanding of evolution. Along the way, he reintroduces us to familiar foes like the fruit fly and mosquito, and gives us the chance to meet their lesser-known cousins like the Petroleum Fly (the only animal in the world that breeds in crude oil) and the Chocolate Midge (the sole pollinator of the Cacao tree). No matter your outlook on our tiny buzzing neighbors, Super Fly will change the way you look at flies forever. Jonathan Balcombe is the author of four books on animal sentience, including the New York Times bestselling What A Fish Knows, which was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Science Writing. He has worked for years as a researcher and educator with the Humane Society to show us the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom"--
Physical Description:xi, 340 pages, 4 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 21 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780143134275
0143134272
Author Notes:Jonathan Balcombe has worked for years as a researcher and educator to bring to light the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom to show us complexity and ingenuity where we least expect it.