Scientists have found the key to mosquitoes’ stealth takeoffs: They barely push off when making a fast getaway, but instead rely on strong and rapid wing beats to quickly get aloft without anyone noticing.
The technique is in stark contrast to other insects, like flies, that push off first and then start beating their wings frantically, often tumbling uncontrollably in the process. That strong pushoff gives away their location, however, allowing us to swat them more easily than we can swat a mosquito.
“Mosquitoes take off mostly with their wings and push off with their legs very, very lightly, or maybe not at all,” said Sofia Chang, a University of California, Berkeley graduate student who wrangled and fed malarial mosquitoes in order to study their takeoffs. “If they were to push off a lot more with their legs, they wouldn’t have to produce as much lift with their wings. But if they lift just with their wings, you won’t feel them coming off your skin.”
Mosquitoes are able to make these stealthy takeoffs with an empty belly or one filled with a blood meal, which nearly doubles their weight, she said.
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Video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Stephen McNally
Music: "Promise Land" and "Path to Follow" by Jingle Punks
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