How do flies and other insects keep on flying as if nothing happened after I hit them in the air with a hand swoosh?

Question

Other animals would get significantly injured if something that heavy relative to their weight hits them.

In: Biology

Answer 1

The two things that happen when something is hit is that it absorbs the kinetic energy (the bit that causes injury) and transfers kinetic energy causing it to move.

Because they are smaller and flying their inertia is very low, so they are redirected much easier. Meaning most of the energy goes into the transfer of kinetic energy rather than the absorption.