Why did crane flies evolve to have long legs?

One benefit to the crane flies having long legs is that, when a predator tries to grab them, they are more likely to get hold of a leg than they are to get the body. The fly can then immediately shed the leg, and escape. read more

One benefit to the crane flies having long legs is that, when a predator tries to grab them, they are more likely to get hold of a leg than they are to get the body. The fly can then immediately shed the leg, and escape. I can confirm from personal experience that it is difficult to grab a crane fly out of the air for this reason. read more

Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae, of the order Diptera, true flies in the superfamily Tipuloidea. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. read more

Size: Crane flies may be mistaken at times for mosquitoes, but they are significantly larger with extremely long legs and have elongated faces. Wings: Crane fly wings may be transparent, brown, grayish-black or brownish-yellow. read more