Research Publications
Snow flies self-amputate freezing limbs to sustain behavior at sub-zero temperatures.
Dominic Golding, Katie L. Rupp, Anne Sustar, Brandon Pratt, and John C. Tuthill
Current Biology 2023. (link to PDF) doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.002
Media Coverage
Short Wave Podcast from NPR, January, 2024
These Animals Shouldn’t Be Alive, Much Less Sprinting. By Ed Yong in The Atlantic, May, 2023.
Snow fly in US and Canada can detach its legs to survive, research shows. By Chris Baraniuk in The Guardian, June, 2023.
A grisly trick helps snow flies survive freezing: self-amputation. By Meghan Rosen in ScienceNews, June, 2023.
Watch snow flies amputate their own legs to avoid freezing to death. By Richard Pallardy in Science Magazine, June, 2023.
Snow-loving flies amputate their own legs for survival. Research Highlight in Nature, September, 2023.
Snow Flies Have a Trick to Survive Freezing Temperatures. By Mary Bates in Psychology Today, October, 2023.
Wildlife Winter Survival Strategies. By Rebecca Dzombak in National Wildlife, December, 2023.