Mosquito

insects · flies · tiny but mighty

Flower drinkers. All mosquitoes actually sip nectar from flowers. Only the females of many species also drink blood.

Built-in straw. A mosquito has a long, pointy mouthpart called a proboscis that's perfect for piercing and sucking.

Just one pair of wings. Mosquitoes are a type of fly, with one pair of wings and three pairs of long, hair-thin legs.

Ancient bugs. Mosquitoes first spread out and diversified during the Cretaceous period, back when dinosaurs roamed.

Lots of kinds. The mosquito family, called Culicidae, includes about 3,600 different species around the world.