If you added up all the lives lost in all wars fought in the 20th century, that figure would come to about 108 million people.

That's a staggering number, but horrifyingly, it pales in comparison to the lives taken by a pocket-sized assassin.

It's a creature responsible for the deaths of between 150 to 300 million people in the last

century alone.

And to this day, it causes over 600,000 more deaths every year.

This is a creature so small you may not even notice it's there, but you can't escape its

telltale whining buzz.

That's right. Mosquitoes!

You may think these are just pesky blood-sucking flies, but these bugs are super spreaders

of fatal diseases that have plagued humanity since the dawn of civilization.

Instinctively, we know to swat them away, but have you ever wondered what

would happen if you didn't? What if you let one of these bugs suck your blood and didn't stop

it until it was too late? Well, stick around as we discover why letting a mosquito bite you

could be the worst mistake you'll ever make.

First, let's learn a bit more about the enemy in question. Well, enemies.

Did you know there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes

on Earth? From the super tiny species which are only 0.1 inches long, just a sliver of the size

of your fingernail to the other end of the scale, the jumbo-sized elephant mosquito. These giant mosquitoes are nearly a full

inch long. That's about the same size as a cent coin. They get their name from their trunk-like

mouths that double as hypodermic needles. But thankfully, these oversized mosquitoes don't

have a taste for human blood, rather they prefer the sugary

nectar from flowers.

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