Overview
- Over eight months at the DeLuca Preserve, researchers trapped tens of thousands of mosquitoes and analyzed more than 2,000 blood meals.
- The sampling detected DNA from 86 vertebrate species spanning mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
- Identified meals included animals such as rattlesnakes, bald eagles, coyotes, otters, toads, alligators and gopher tortoises.
- Because mosquitoes travel only short distances after feeding and ingested DNA degrades quickly, each blood meal reflects very recent, nearby wildlife presence.
- A companion study reported performance comparable to conventional surveys during the wet season, while cautioning that very rare species like the Florida panther may be missed and that resurrecting extinct organisms from such DNA remains unsupported.