Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Tiny

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Tropical forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Rare

About

A tiny tan fly with bright red eyes that hovers around overripe fruit and forgotten dishes. Despite its size, it is the most genetically studied animal on Earth — research with this species has produced eight Nobel Prizes.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Drosophilidae

Genus

Drosophila

Species

Drosophila melanogaster