Why are fruit flies an ideal organism for genetic reaserach?

Answer 1

They breed quickly, have a relatively large number of eggs, and virtually their entire development and genome are known and well cataloged.

Thanks, Jon, forgot about the most obvious answer.

Answer 2

To add to what has already been said, the Drosophila breeds rapidly and therefore you can do genetic experiments requiring several generations in a very short time. They do have few chromosomes, but in addition, the chromosomes they do have are enormous. They form what is called a polytene chromosome by replicating the same chromosomes hundreds of times, but keeping them attached to each other. Thus, their chromosomes can be easily seen with a simple microscope.

Answer 3

And, they have 4 chromosomes.