Creepy Video Shows How Mosquitoes Suck Your Blood

Overview

Mosquitoes aren’t only obnoxious, but they are also a health risk. And this video shows their bites may not be as simple as they seem.

The science and other stuff to know

Part of what makes mosquitoes so good at getting humans sick is the effectiveness of their bite. The mouth of a mosquito, called a proboscis, isn’t just one tiny spear. It’s a sophisticated system of six thin needles, each of which pierces the skin, finds blood vessels, and makes it easy for mosquitoes to suck blood, as this video by the YouTube channel Deep Look illustrates.

If you look closely at the mosquito in the video, you’ll only see one blood-sucking tube. That’s the protective sheath that peels back when the mosquito is ready to bite. Then, the six needles inside dive in — two sawing the skin while the others pull the tissue apart. One main needle does the sucking, probing inside you to find a blood vessel before using the sucking needle like a straw.

While all that sound like the stuff of nightmares, the video notes that the aftermath following the bite is the scariest part. In fact, the bites from mosquitoes are more dangerous to humans than those of any other animal. They kill over one million people each year and sicken millions more.