There are over 1,500 species of fruit flies.

Fruit flies can fly over 6 miles per day, and they do this entirely during daylight hours, as they are inactive and sleep at night.

They can detect a ripe banana from 10 meters away. However, they are also attracted to non-fruits like vinegar, beer, and wine.

Fruit flies can actually get drunk from alcohol, and species that live near vineyards tend to have a higher tolerance for it.

Despite their tiny brain size, fruit flies are surprisingly intelligent creatures for insects. Scientists have even fully mapped out their brains.

Fruit flies beat their wings over 200 times per second.

Fruit flies are indeed capable of feeling pain.

They taste with their legs and absorb food through a mouth that functions more like a sponge, as they don’t have teeth.

They can become aggressive when they’re extremely hungry.

Interestingly, fruit flies generally do not spread diseases. Also, about 60% of fruit fly sicknesses have a counterpart in human diseases.

Fruit flies studies have contributed to six Nobel Prizes, mostly in the fields of genetics and biology.

Female fruit flies will reject a mate by kicking the male. They often mate with several males and are able to choose which sperm will fertilize their eggs.

Red and yellow surfaces typically attract them more than any other colors.

Fruit flies have relatively short lifespans, typically living between 40 and 50 days.

A single female can lay around 500 eggs in her short lifetime. The eggs usually hatch within 24 hours, and the larvae develop into adults within 10 days. Ironically, the same yeast that ferments fruit can sometimes kill fruit fly larvae.

A simple gene mutation has been found that can turn male fruit flies either bisexual or asexual.

In 1947, fruit flies became the first animals sent into space.

Fruit flies share the same gut bacteria as humans, including Lactobacillus.

There is even a fungus that has been found to put fruit flies into a sort of zombie-like state.