Antarctic Mosquito: The Only Insect in the South Pole (6 photos)
Forget everything you knew about mosquitoes. This one doesn't squeak, doesn't fly, and doesn't drink blood. What's more, it dies at room temperature. Meet the Belgica antarctica—Antarctica's only true insect. It's 2-6 millimeters long, but it has incredible superpowers: it can lose 70% of its moisture and survive, and it can live for a month without oxygen. 
Well, yes, the size is ridiculous... But Antarctica is really cold!
They're a lacquered black, the size of a grain of rice. And most importantly: NO WINGS. Why did evolution take away their wings? Just think: in an Antarctic wind of 80-100 km/h, any winged creature would instantly be blown out to sea. Wings in Antarctica are a death sentence. The life cycle is TWO YEARS. Of these, it spends almost two years as a larva, frozen in the ice. And only 7-10 days as an adult. The larvae feed on algae, fungi, and penguin excrement. 
A bloodworm is just a bloodworm.
Adult mosquitoes DO NOT FEED AT ALL. They have no mouth for food. Females mate on the first day of life, lay eggs, and die. Two years of preparation for seven days of reproduction. 
It's nice when adulthood and all that responsibility only lasts a week.
The Antarctic mosquito also has the smallest genome of any insect on the planet. It has DROPPED all unnecessary DNA—every extra molecule requires energy, which is critically scarce in Antarctica. Most insects die after losing 20% of their moisture. This one experiences 70% dehydration. In winter, the larva DELIBERATELY expels water from its body to avoid turning into ice. The body shrinks, and its metabolism slows. In the spring, it reabsorbs moisture and continues to live. It also accumulates natural antifreeze from sugars and survives for a month without oxygen, frozen into the ice. 
Another contender for the colonization of Mars.
Here's the paradox: the Antarctic mosquito CANNOT TOLERATE HEAT. Larvae die at +10°C within a week. At +30°C, within hours. Room temperature is lethal. They've adapted to the cold so much that they've lost the ability to live in warmth. But -15°C is normal. Irony: Antarctica's only insect will become extinct if the continent gets warmer. 
Accelerated reproduction mode.
And it's happening. Temperatures are rising, winters are getting warmer. In a cold winter, 50% of larvae survive, in a warm winter, only 30%. A warm autumn prevents them from accumulating energy, and the larvae hibernate exhausted and don't survive until spring. The mosquito has NO PREDATORS. There's nothing to eat it. There are no parasites or diseases—it's too cold. The only enemies are cold, ultraviolet radiation, and dehydration. 
Can the Antarctic mosquito pay taxes?
The Antarctic mosquito is a living paradox. A wingless mosquito that doesn't bite. An insect that dies in warmth but thrives in ice. Two years of life for seven days of love. Belgica antarctica is proof that life can exist where it seems impossible. The result of 40 million years of evolution in the harshest place on the planet. And now, as Antarctica warms, this small black mosquito will be one of the first to disappear. Because it has adapted too well to the cold to survive in the warmth.
