What are Tsetse Flies?
Tsetse flies are bloodsucking flies in the genus Glossina. These African natives are probably most famous for the trypanosomes that they carry; these pathogens can cause a variety of illnesses, most notably sleeping sickness, a disease which is characterized by extreme lethargy, leading to coma and death if not treated. Tsetse flies also have a few interesting biological traits which make them a topic of study for people in the scientific community.
Tsetse flies are bloodsucking flies in the genus Glossina. These African natives are probably most famous for the trypanosomes that they carry; these pathogens can cause a variety of illnesses, most notably sleeping sickness, a disease which is characterized by extreme lethargy, leading to coma and death if not treated. Tsetse flies also have a few interesting biological traits which make them a topic of study for people in the scientific community. A typical tsetse fly has a yellow to brown body, depending on the species, and is generally larger than a housefly. At rest, tsetse flies fold their wings over each other, a distinctive trait which makes them very easy to identify. The flies also have unusually long proboscises, which are used to suck blood from their prey. Other features of the tsetse fly, like their hairy antennae, are a bit harder to identify in the field.
