Hangin' Out the Passenger Side of Your Best Friend's Ride...

When a male dance fly wants to make maggots, he can't just show up to the lady fly's place empty-handed. He brings a gift, like a nutritious bug, which he presents to the lady. She examines it and begins eating it. Meanwhile the male is busy in back making sweet fly love to her. The bigger the treat, the longer he gets to work it.

If a female fly did not have hold of a gift, she immediately stopped copulation and literally shooed off the male.

But there's a problem:

"It takes time for an insect to go out and catch prey, which can expose the male to predation by birds," he said. "If you are an insect out looking for food, chances are a bird is out looking to eat you."

Um, better to avoid the effort. So, check out what the cheap-ass male flies have come up with: they give FAKE GIFTS!

By the time the female fly realizes her lover is a cheapskate and beats him off with her wings, the male already has mated with her and leaves with his faux present to find another partner. . . .

By presenting a female with a fake gift, a male can mate more often because he will be around for a while longer." Heydon added that some flies even present their mates with empty packages wrapped up with layers of silk. He said, "By the time the female finishes unwrapping her gift and discovers that it is empty, the male has mated with her."

Don't hate the player, little fly. Hate the game.

HAT TIP: A Secular Franciscan Life