Maggot, << MAG uht, >> is the larva, or young, of many kinds of flies. The maggot has a soft body that usually tapers toward the front. It looks somewhat like a worm or caterpillar. It has no legs and no distinct head. Maggots move by wriggling or flipping their bodies. They are usually white but may be colored. Most maggots live buried in their food. Some are scavengers and live in dead or decaying matter. Others are parasites in animal and plant tissue. Still others prey on insects.
