A mosquito is a small, narrow-waisted fly of the family Culicidae. The females of most species pierce the skin of animals and suck their blood. Mosquitoes are widely distributed throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. They are vectors (disease carriers) for many dangerous diseases, including yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Mosquitoes go through four distinct stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The eggs are laid on or near water; when they hatch into larvae they live in water and breathe air through special tubes. After several molts (skin changes), they change into pupae; during this stage they do not eat. Adults emerge from the pupal stage and mate soon after. Females live about two weeks but may survive up to six months if conditions are favourable; males live only a few days longer than females.
There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes known to science. They can be divided into two main groups: those that bite people and animals (the vast majority), and those that do not feed on blood at all but instead pollinate flowers or feed on other insects (a tiny minority). The female Anopheles mosquito is the primary vector for transmitting malaria to humans; she obtains the parasites by feeding on an infected person or animal. When these parasites mature inside her gut lining, she passes them on to future victims when she takes another blood meal. Dengue fever is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes; both sexes of this species feed primarily on human blood although some will also bite birds or mammals if given the opportunity. Yellow fever is spread mainly by Aestus mosquitoes; like Dengue fever transmission requires contact between an infected individual and a non-infected one via a mosquito vector.”