A research by California Institute of Technology has unveiled that mosquitoes find out their human targets using a multi-sensory strategy, including odor, visual cues and body heat. The strategy helps mosquitoes to track their prey.

The journal Current Biology-published research has unveiled that mosquito tracks down the human prey by the smell of carbon dioxide, found in animals and humans breathe. From the distance of 10 to 50 meters, the insect can small CO2.

As the insect keeps on moving closer, it develops stronger visual cue to find out its human target. The researchers conducted an experiment to test this theory. The researchers released hungry, mated female mosquitoes into a wind tunnel.

In one of the experiments, a high-level of carbon dioxide plume was released into tunnel, imitating the breath of human. While conducting control experiments, the researchers have introduced a plume having background air and low level of CO2.

In both the experiments, the researchers have released 20 mosquitoes and used video cameras. They have event used 3-D tracking software to know the movements of mosquitoes. Study's lead researcher Michael Dickinson said, "Understanding how brains combine information from different senses to make appropriate decisions is one of the central challenges in neuroscience".

One more interesting thing found was mosquitoes do not waste their time investigating false targets, said the researchers, who affirmed that they have come to know about new and vital information about insect behavior.