Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear | Deep Look

The mosquito buzzing that you find annoying and disgusting is irresistible to a male mosquito. He follows the sound of a female mosquito’s beating wings to find a mate. It turns out, male mosquitoes are really good listeners. 👉 JOIN our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deeplook SIGN UP for Deep Look’s newsletter, Nature Unseen: https://bit.ly/NatureUnseenSignUp SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/kqeddeeplook?sub_confirmation=1 DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED in San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. ---+ Find a transcript on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1997098/why-mosquitoes-buzz-in-your-ear ---+ More great Deep Look episodes: This Dangerous Mosquito Lays Her Armored Eggs – in Your House https://youtu.be/1T9jgBnXXvw?feature=shared 5 of the Worst Tiny Bloodsuckers That Have Ever Bitten Us https://youtu.be/RQTi1GWv_lg?feature=shared How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood https://youtu.be/rD8SmacBUcU?feature=shared ---+ Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for correctly answering our GIF challenge! A male mosquito can hear the difference between the sound of his beating wings and those of a female. He has thousands of specialized sensors at the base of his antennae that contribute to his exquisitely sensitive hearing. We asked, what is the name of the enclosure that houses these sensors, located at the base of each of his antennae? The answer we were looking for was pedicels. Each pedicel houses 16,000 sensors, in the case of a male mosquito. These sensors are part of what's known as the Johnston's organ. The sensors pick up vibrations from the mosquito's antennae and transmit information to the brain. That's how a mosquito hears. @marasenna781 @ellie_vibes ---+ Thank you to our top Patreon supporters ($10+ per month)! Lily, Vinny, Izzy Altschuler H.M. Andrew Edgar Betancourt Levi Cai Jack Conklin Elena De La Paz David Deshpande Elizabeth Ann Ditz Stephanie Dole Jessica Duplechin Jamie Edwards Chris B Emrick Rachel Fenichel Kristy Folsom Susan Fuhs Daisuke Goto Elia Gourguechon-Buot Noreen Herrington Jessica Hiraoka Burt Humburg Jellyman Titania Juang Julia Ma Eric Marsh Carrie Mukaida Louis O'Neill Hank Poppe Laurel Przybylski Cristen Rasmussen Craig Rosa Karen Reynolds Mehdi Salarkia El Samuels Jeff Schumacher Darby Sullivan Wade Tregaskis Walter Tschinkel Oliver Wakeling Kristine Wee Christopher Williams Roberta K Wright Brigitte Xia ---+ Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deeplookofficial Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deeplook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/ Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS member station in San Francisco, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios and the members of KQED. #mosquito #deeplook