How Big Did Mosquitoes Used to Be?
WouterWhether mosquitoes were once gigantic is unclear. They have not been known to be so big since the mid-Cretaceous Period, which occurred between 145 and 66 million years ago.
This period of time was characterized by a higher oxygen content in the atmosphere, which fueled the growth of insects. The largest insects reached a size of several feet. Dinosaurs also evolved into birds, which were able to beat down and kill insects.
A few years ago, scientists discovered a blood-engorged mosquito in a thin layer of shale in northwest Montana. This is the first direct evidence of blood-feeding in ancient insects. This mosquito is estimated to have been 46 million years old.
The mosquito’s body contains the chemical compound heme. This is found in red blood cells. The heme also has an oxygen-carrying group. It’s unclear what creature’s blood was in the mosquito’s abdomen.
Several groups of scientists have claimed to find a fossil of a mosquito with ancient blood in its abdomen. Each of these claims turned out to be false. Each one was a result of contamination.
But now, a new paper is helping to clarify whether mosquitoes could have been plump with blood. It shows the first morphological evidence of biological molecules in the fossil record.
The mosquito found in northwestern Montana is one of the oldest direct evidence of blood feeding in insects. The mosquito was discovered by a retired biochemist named Dr. John Greenwalt. The shale in which the mosquito was found is 46 million years old.
