What is the purpose of blood sucking insects and animals?

Question

every animal and insects serves a purpose in this world but i dont get what the blood sucking ones (fleas, mosquitos, vampire bats) do for the environment. are they only on this earth for food supply for the other insects or animals that eat them? but who eats fleas? who eats vampire bats?

Answer 1

What purpose do any of us have on this earth? well if you ask me only to reproduce and pass you genes on to the next generation then you are truly successful.

In relation to humans what purpose do they serve well mostly medical. Most blood sucking creatures before they start to suck release chemicals into your blood to help them feed more efficiently. Some of these chemicals among others are anti-colagients which stop the blood clotting and anesthetics to stop you from feeling them. Both of which are vital in modern medicine and operations.

In the rest of the animal world blood suckers act as vectors for bacteria and other parasites that are also just trying to pass on there genes. For example the female anopheles mosquito carries the bacteria "Plasmodium" (should be in italics) so it can reproduce in other hosts. As it happens humans get malaria from it so its not all good news.

So blood suckers help us design new medicine, transport parasites and finally provide food for may birds, reptiles and carnivorous mammals.

I hope this has helped.

Answer 2

If nothing else they provide poets with material:

Fleas

Adam had 'em

(Ogden Nash)

and

the famous Irish poet Jonathan Swift, who was the author of "Gulliver's Travels." Swift wrote a poem called "On Poetry: A Rhapsody," in which he commented on some of the poetry issues of his time. In that long poem, Swift refers to the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who notes that predator and prey relationships are common in nature. Swift uses that ecological fact as an analogy for ways that poets often relate to each other. According to Swift:

"So, naturalists observe, a flea

Has smaller fleas that on him prey;

And these have smaller still to bite 'em,

And so proceed ad infinitum.

Thus ever poet, in his kind,

Is bit by him that comes behind:"

(1733)