Why do mayflies only live 1 day?

Answer 1

For the same reason that people live to 80 years, and their computers live from 6 to 10.

Someday, your computer will DIE, but not before the Mayflies. I hope that you have BACKUPS.

Answer 2

The only purpose of the mayfly is to mate and create new mayfly larva. This is why mayfly's mouth parts are vestigial, they cannot eat, so the short lifespan. The expend all their energy on the mating flight, and just before the female dies she lays her eggs, in the water. The eggs hatch into larva that live in the water, or burrow into the sand, until they develop into adult mayflies.

Flies don't have a very long life span. Fruit Flies only live for about 28 days. This makes them good for genetic studies, because their short generations allow for traits to be breed into them and develop.

Seems pretty bad to have sex only once and die.

Answer 3

The immature stages of mayflies are aquatic. They generally live in unpolluted habitats with fresh, flowing water. Some species are active swimmers, others are flattened and cling to the underside of stones, a few are burrowers who dig U-shaped tunnels in the sand or mud. Most species are herbivorous. Their diet consists primarily of algae and other aquatic plant life scavenged from surrounding habitat. Some species mature quickly, in as little as four weeks, while others develop more slowly (one to four years per generation).
Once a mayfly completes development as a naiad, it leaves the aquatic environment, often rising to the water surface in a bubble of air. It quickly molts to a winged form (the subimago) and flies to a nearby leaf or stem. The subimago is a brief transitional stage that molts again into a sexually mature adult (imago). The imago usually has transparent wings and a smooth, shiny exoskeleton in contrast to the cloudy wings and dull, pubescent body of the subimago. Mayflies are the only living insects that molt again after they have wings.

Most adults are delicate insects with a very short lifespan. They do not feed (mouthparts are vestigial), and some species emerge, reproduce, and die in a single day. Males generally fly in swarms that undulate in the air 5-15 meters above the ground. Females fly into the swarm and are quickly grabbed by a male. Copulation takes place in flight, and the female usually lays her clutch of eggs within minutes or hours. Males die shortly after mating; females usually die soon after oviposition.

Answer 4

they live only to mate.. once they mate their life is over. Oh, and besides, they don't have mouthparts to eat, so they die from starvation. mayflies spend the vast majority of their life in the larval/pupal stages

Answer 5

They are all born on May 31st.

Answer 6

Because they "may fly", but usually they can't and end up killing themselves in the fall.

Poor bastards!

Answer 7

They have no mouth, and can't eat or drink. so they die of thirst and hunger.

Answer 8

cuz thier just cool like that.