The world’s largest fly is called the American Horse Fly. They are loud and carry diseases. They are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica.

The American Horse Fly’s size is ¼ to ¾ inches long. Its color can be black or brown with colorful eyes like blue, green, yellow, and even red. To survive they depend on other animals so they can drink their blood. They have one set of wings and they are extremely noisy during flight.

The American Horse fly starts out as an egg, hatches into a larva, and grows into a fly. They reproduce near water. When the eggs hatch the larva eat small invertebrates and earthworms. The American Horse Fly is found in any part of the world. There are about 4,500 species of horse flies in the world.

The American Horse Fly eats insects and spiders and feeds off the blood of land mammals and birds. They also eat pollen and nectar. The females are the ones who suck up the blood and the males are the ones who eat the pollen and nectar. They eat in the morning. They eat in woods and forest areas that are damp and swampy. The females eat by using their sharp jaws to cut open the skin and suck out the blood. They do not compete with other animals for food. Their only competition is each other. Its predators are toads, some birds, wasps, and spiders. The American Horse Fly evades being eaten by luck.

The American Horse Fly carries painful diseases and some even carry parasites. Some of the diseases they can transmit are anthrax, hog cholera, and tularemia. The American Horse Fly’s bites can cause itching and sometimes swelling if it is not taken care of.

Author: Tyson T.
Published: 3/13

Sources: http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/T/Tabanus_americanus/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly
http://bugguide.net/node/view/117 
Photo Credit: http://www.insectimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1453014