When someone mentions the term “world’s deadliest animal” you probably start thinking of sharks, tigers, crocodiles and other fierce creatures. Well, it may shock you to learn that it’s actually mosquitoes. Why? Well, it’s down to the harmful diseases that they are known to spread. Today the 20th of August is the Worlds Mosquito day. The Day was established in 1897 when the link between mosquitoes and malaria transmission was discovered by Sir Ronald Ross. The intent was to raise awareness about malaria and how it can be prevented as well as raise money to help find a cure.

There are so many interesting facts about mosquitoes that many of us dont know about. Here are 5 of them

1. Only female mosquitoes bite 💋
This may surprise you and most people probably assume all mosquitoes bite, but no it is only the females that like to use us as a tasty snack.

2. Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animals 👀
When someone mentions the term “world’s deadliest animal” you probably start thinking of sharks, tigers, crocodiles and other fierce creatures. Well, it may shock you to learn that it’s actually mosquitoes. Why? Well, it’s down to the harmful diseases that they are known to spread. Mosquitoes cause more deaths than snakes, tigers, spiders, sharks and any other animal combined. A single malarial mosquito can infect more than 100 people, and according to WHO one African child dies every minute from malaria.

3. Mosquitoes love CO2 😈
To be honest they have a bit of an addiction to it. Carbon dioxide is one of the main ways in which mosquitoes locate their next feast. They use a special organ called a maxillary palp to follow the smell of CO2 released from our breath. So they tend to buzz around our ears due to the carbon dioxide exhaled from our nose and mouth

4. It is their spit that is itchy
Most people have a natural immune response to the saliva mosquitoes use as an anticoagulant. This results in the release of histamines and the annoying itch

5. Mosquitoes are attracted more to women than men
Mosquitoes are attracted to women and especially pregnant women.. In a Lancet Study in 2000, scientists compared pregnant women with their non-pregnant counterparts and found that pregnant women attracted twice as many mosquitoes.