Closeup on a nasty looking flesh fly at Elk Forest

The Flesh Fly is a nasty looking character in the (Sarcophagidae) family of flies.

I had to do some searching online and in books to find him out and when I did; I learned that these suckers carry nasty diseases like leprosy, bacilli and can transmit intestinal pseudomyiasis if you eat their larvae. Wikipedia didn’t even know what that last one was!

Luckily, flesh flies are most fond of rotting carrion, open wounds and dung when planting their larvae, so unless you plan on putting some of those things in your mouth (which is none of my business), you’ll probably be safe.

If you’re wondering, I caught this guy at Elk Forest Wildlife Management Area, on a little macro lens excursion.