Food digested externally: houseflies

Houseflies digest their food externally by apply a solvent liquid to food particles to dissolve them, and then suck up the liquid food.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

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Biomimetic Application Ideas

Cleanup tools

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The housefly uses the labellum in its mouthpart to 'quality test' food before feeding. Unlike many creatures, flies digest their food externally. It applies a solvent fluid to the food. This fluid dissolves the food into a liquid that the fly can suck. Then, the fly takes the liquid nutrients into itself by means of the labella which gently dabs liquids into its proboscis." (Yahya 2002:38)

About the inspiring organism

Musca domestica
Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758

Some organism data provided by: BDWD: BioSystematic Database of World Diptera
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Cleanup tools that mimic the mechanism flies use to dissolve food.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Pollution, bioremediation

References

Harun Yahya. 2002. Design in Nature. London: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. 180 p.

Food digested externally: houseflies

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