Calliphoridae

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/calliphoridae

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Calliphoridae
2. What are blow flies?Blow flies are shiny insects with metallic colors that belong to the Calliphoridae family. They have over 1,000 species and can be found all over the world.
3. Why do blow flies eat dead animals?Blow flies eat dead animals to help clean up the environment. By breaking down carcasses quickly, they return nutrients to the soil and keep germs from spreading.

Necrophagous: An organism that feeds on dead organic matter, particularly the flesh of dead animals.
Post-Mortem Interval (PMI): The time elapsed between death and the discovery of a body, often estimated using insect development.
Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT): A medical treatment using sterile fly larvae to remove dead tissue from wounds.
Ecological plasticity: The ability of an organism to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions and ecological niches.