---
title: "Watch a Remarkable Mosquito Tornado Unfold"
description: "[caption id=\"attachment_24098\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"636\"] Image via Ana Filipa Scarpa[/caption] Anyone who has seen a tornado knows that they are rather frightening, but these tornadoes are more than scary; they are downright terrifying. In fact, they a bit reminiscent of what we might see in our nightmares. What we see here is a living tornado. That's..."
date: "2014-05-27"
modified: "2016-11-30"
authors:
  - name: "Jolene Creighton"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jolene-creighton.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/watch-a-completely-terrifying-mosquito-tornado"
categories:
  - "From Quarks to Quasars"
---

# Watch a Remarkable Mosquito Tornado Unfold

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/bug-tornado.jpg>)

Anyone who has seen a tornado knows that they are rather frightening, but these tornadoes are more than scary; they are downright terrifying. In fact, they a bit reminiscent of what we might see in our nightmares.

What we see here is a *living* tornado. That's because this cyclone is composed of bugs (mosquitoes, to be exact). Photographer [Ana Filipa Scarpa](<http://anafilipascarpa.blogspot.pt/>) captured this event while at Vila Franca de Xira in Portugal.

## The swarm was 1000 feet high (304 meters).

Scarpa describes the event by asserting that she was not initially aware of what was going on; "It was a very high funnel swinging to the left and to the right. I pointed my camera and began shooting before it hit me.

But the funnel did not move toward me—and I thought it was so strange—so I got into my car and started to drive towards it, and that's when I realized it was a mosquito twister."

[![Image via Mike Hollingshead/extremeinstability.com](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bugnado-1024x575-1.jpg>)](<http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bugnado.jpg>)
*Image via Mike Hollingshead*

Unfortunately (for us, anyways), such events are not uncommon, particularly in areas like Leziria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira, which have a lot of water for mosquitoes to breed and thrive. Of course, the events are also not exclusive to remote areas. The above is an image of a midge bugnado from Iowa.

This midge swarm was seen along Highway 30 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where flooding in the area caused a population boom of the tiny insects.

You can see a video of mosquito tornados in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoLzK0TPS3E

### Author social links  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jolene.creighton>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolenecreighton>)  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/sciencejolene>)

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