Only female mosquitoes bite
Only female mosquitoes bite humans for blood to lay eggs. They need the nutrients from blood to reproduce.
Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animals
Mosquitoes, not sharks or tigers, are the deadliest animals. They spread diseases like Malaria, Zika, and Dengue, causing about 1 million deaths yearly!
Mosquitoes would be terrible in the Olympics
In 2016, people worried about Zika at the Olympics. Now, imagine if mosquitoes joined! Mosquitoes aren't fast fliers, unlike flies or wasps. They fly only 1-1.5 mph, nowhere near Usain Bolt's speed!
Mosquitoes are big fans of Dirty Dancin
Mosquitoes have a special dance before mating, like in an 80s movie. They flap their wings back and forth in a cool way!
Mosquitoes love CO₂
They really like it. Mosquitoes find us by smelling the carbon dioxide we breathe out. They use a special organ called a maxillary palp to follow the scent.
There are a lot of mosquitoes
There are more than 3,000 kinds of mosquitoes worldwide, says the American Mosquito Control Association.
Mosquitoes are greedy
Did you know mosquitoes can drink 3 times their weight in blood? That's more than students drink in freshman week!