Book 4, Question 34
Why Do Flies Rub Their Feet?
Flies rub their feet to clean them, because flies taste with tiny bristles on their legs.
A fly tastes with its feet. After a messy landing, rubbing its feet scrapes off dust and sticky food, so the taste sensors work again. It is not waving hello.
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From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 4
More fun facts
- When a house fly rubs its front legs together, it is not excited about dinner. It is cleaning itself.
- Flies taste with their feet, using tiny bristles on their legs that have taste pores at the tips.
- A fly keeps those taste bristles clean so it can learn as much as possible about the world around it.
- Scientists who covered fruit flies in dust found they clean in the same order each time, starting with their front legs wiping their eyes and antennae.
- Next, the fly uses its back legs to clean its abdomen, then its wings, and finally the middle of its body, called the thorax.
- Now and then, the fly stops to brush the dust off the legs it is using as cleaning tools.
Questions kids ask
Can a fly really taste with its feet?
Yes. Some bristles on a fly's legs have taste sensors, so it can taste food just by standing on it.