130 million years ago, male mosquitoes may have drunk blood as well

December 16, 2023 6:53 AM

Thought only female mozzies sucked blood? Not according to these 130-million-year-old male mozzies. It's a fact often trotted out at summer barbecues when mosquitoes are buzzing around — only female mozzies drink blood. But new research suggests that may not have always been the case.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (12 comments total)

Interesting that mosquitoes have been sucking blood longer than flowering plants have existed.
posted by clawsoon at 8:33 AM on December 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

The study tested human forearm odour and was able to identify "people who are exceptionally attractive or unattractive

to mosquitos." But I prefer ending the quotation there.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 9:17 AM on December 16, 2023 [6 favorites]

ha ok now let's make the girls stop drinking my "exceptionally attractive" blood too!
posted by supermedusa at 10:48 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Mozzies? I believe the correct term is flying, blood sucking parasites.
posted by Splunge at 11:38 AM on December 16, 2023

*Skeeters*, dammit
posted by whuppy at 12:16 PM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

I wonder why the males lost their blood drinking needle noses. It's better this way for sure, but I wonder what pushed evolution in that direction.
posted by donuy at 12:19 PM on December 16, 2023

I wish I could Jurassic Park some 150 million year old male blood-sucking mozzies, because I don't see why the ladies get to have all the fun.
posted by esoteric cruelties at 12:29 PM on December 16, 2023

Good to know given that when a mosquito lands on me I tend to swat first and forget to check its genitalia later.
posted by orange swan at 1:59 PM on December 16, 2023

For a week or two there must have been so, so many op eds from nectar-sceptical mosquitos about the troubling rise of the plant sucking identity in young mozzies. With some luck we will find one encased in amber.
posted by Ashenmote at 2:56 PM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

"No boy of mine is going vegan. Get woke on nectar, go choke on nectar."
posted by clawsoon at 3:02 PM on December 16, 2023

I thought it was only the male mosquitoes that had the high pitched mating whine that wakes you up and gives you insomnia for the rest of the night.
posted by Narrative_Historian at 2:08 AM on December 18, 2023

I wonder why the males lost their blood drinking needle noses. It's better this way for sure, but I wonder what pushed evolution in that direction.

I had actually just randomly had a thought about this when I popped in here after having ranted about how much I hate mosquitoes in the MN state flag thread.

We can't really just up and eliminate mosquitoes because they're a very important part of the food chain. Lots of things eat them and they're very nutritious...because they're flying around with condensed blood (usually mine, I'm one of those folks especially attractive to the bastards).

So my guess is that males evolved to be a less attractive food source by going vegan. They still need blood for the eggs so the females still suck blood.
posted by VTX at 3:19 PM on December 18, 2023