Mosquitoes Driving Caribou to Extremes | Anchorage News

Mosquitoes aren’t just pesky backyard bugs—they’re ecological powerhouses in Alaska, where swarms so thick they feel like living blankets are draining caribou of blood and forcing them into survival mode. Researcher Frank Morschel discovered that a single caribou can host thousands of these tiny vampires, losing pounds over summer. To escape the torment, caribou climb to snow patches with worse food, and even herding up doesn’t help—less grazing, more standing. While wolves get the spotlight, these microscopic insects are quietly reshaping the caribou’s world, proving that even the smallest creatures can wield outsized influence.

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