About 3,600 species of small flies. All drink nectar, but the females of many species also drink blood, which they need to make eggs. Their bites spread malaria, dengue, yellow fever and other diseases.
Quick answers
What is it?Insect
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?Yes
Mosquito-borne diseases infect nearly 700 million people a year and kill over one million.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatWetland, Rivers & lakes, Forest, Towns
ColoursBlack, Brown
SizeTiny
LengthUsually 3–6 mm; up to 18 mm
Legs6
Covered inExoskeleton
Lives ingroups
Lives for2 months
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Worldwide. Eggs are usually laid on still water.
- What it eats
- Nectar; females of many species also drink blood.
Did you know
The diseases it spreads kill over a million people a year.
Males beat their wings 450 to 600 times a second.
Often confused with
- Fly
A mosquito is a kind of fly, with a long piercing proboscis and long thin legs.
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