Mosquitoes Threatening Animals to Extinction

..and you’d think mosquito-borne diseases are for humans alone? Apparently not, because these blood suckers are driving animals from all over the world to extinction!—something that sends researchers and local government agencies across the globe into frenzy to stop mosquitoes from making further- and ultimately, irreversible- damages.

Earlier this month, it was reported that mosquitoes in the Galapagos Island developed a rare taste for reptilian blood and were sucking off blood from Galápagos tortoises and its close cousins. In this course of action, mosquitoes are passing diseases unknown to a reptilian’s system that could kill them which was exactly what local biologists fear of. Galapagos wildlife is the island’s most notable feature and the very reason why they were declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. That alone warrants preventive measures from its local government as they believe mosquitoes breeding in the island are undergoing potentially dangerous mutation stages.

One week after, a new finding was released stating that mosquitoes—again—are threatening birds and this time, in Hawaii. The rare Honeycreeper birds were susceptible to avian malaria which was brought about by what else: the mosquito and its infected bite. A single mosquito bite could kill the bird with only 10% survival rate. It seems that mosquitoes are doing their very best to finally sweep away those near-to-extinction species.

Researchers suspected that mutations and mosquitoes’ now-heavy population are caused by global warming and climate change. Mosquitoes are known to thrive in tropical areas where it is normally warm and humid and because there are many areas now that are experiencing hotter days and lesser cold spots, mosquitoes are having a field day!

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