Zaw-Tun, I. et al.
The average housefly lives an average of 28 days – an amount many in the scientific community describe as “way too long anyway” – but entomologists out of the University of Toronto have confirmed your longstanding suspicions: the fly with the longest recorded lifespan in history is the one currently trapped in your kitchen. You know the one, the big greasy black one that almost flew into your mouth that one time.
After a gruelling month-long study, researchers determined that that one housefly that seems to hang out in the area between the sink and the green bin is without a doubt the oldest fly on record and shows no signs of slowing down.
“It’s unlikely this fly will go away any time soon,” says Dr. Stacy Fields, one of the team’s lead researchers. “He seems to be a real fixture of the apartment. It really is the most miraculous longevity we’ve seen in this particular species of Musca Domestica.
“We’re speculating that something about the place could be contributing to his longevity-” Dr. Fields gestures towards a bowl of buttered ramen noodles, left on the counter since Tuesday, “but at this point we can’t be one hundred percent sure.”
