Killer flies 'divebomb' towards their prey but often lose control in the air and miss their target, a new study shows.
A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge filmed the species with cameras as it tried to catch prey in transparent tanks in the lab.
The species, Coenosia attenuata, can reach accelerations of more than 3g when aerial diving to catch their prey, they discovered.
But at such high speeds they often miss because they can't correct their course and end up having to awkwardly recalibrate in mid-air.
Incredibly, the species, which is native to Southern Europe, travels five times faster than a falcon, despite reaching 0.1 inch in length.