The Deadliest Bug in the World Sucks, and Also May Shock You

There are over 30,000 different bugs in Texas, making it one of the most biologically diverse regions in the United States. Some of the most common types found in Texas are mosquitoes, ants, termites, cockroaches, beetles, and flies.

Full disclosure... I googled this question: "What is the deadliest bug in the world?" ...and the answer definitely, did shock me.

Can you guess what the deadliest bug in the world is?

Turns out it's that little pest... the mosquito!

According to the CDC: spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, and lymphatic filariasis, the mosquito kills more people than any other creature in the world.

So... why does it suck?

Mosquitoes have a specialized mouthpart called a proboscis, which they use to suck blood. The proboscis is a long, thin, flexible structure that is made up of several different parts. When a mosquito lands on a person or animal and pierces the skin with its proboscis, it uses its sharp, saw-like mandibles to cut through the skin and locate a blood vessel. Once it finds a blood vessel, it uses its flexible labrum to probe the vessel and locate a source of blood... and sucks. As it sucks, the mosquito injects saliva into the wound to help prevent blood clotting and to make it easier to extract blood. Once the mosquito has taken its fill of blood, it flies away. Nice and full.

How many deaths does it cause a year?

Mosquitoes are responsible for a significant number of deaths each year worldwide, mostly because of they diseases they transmit. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquito-borne diseases kill around 725,000 people a year.