Oozequitoes

!!!This article contains Spoilers for Mystic Forest.

Oozequitoes are genetically altered, mutated mosquitoes created by Baxter Stockman. They are massive in size and carry a dangerous experimental Mutagen compound in their bodies.

History

Oozequitoes were created by Baxter Stockman during his experiments with insects and mutagen. The goal was to create supersized insects in order to have an army of them, but he needed a steady supply of mutagen to do this. Baxter Stockman realized the mutagen was organic in origin, and managed to sequence the genome that allowed creatures to produce such a substance, and mutated mosquitoes with this genome.
The result were gargantuan mosquitoes that produce a mutagen-like compound in their abdomens where they would normally store blood. This substance wasn't exactly the same as mutagen, so he officially labeled it as Mutagen-B. Mutagen-B had the ability to mutate creatures that had already been mutated and thus rendered insusceptible to remutation.
Spoilers for the Mutation Arc

During and attempt by Lindsey Baker and the Turtles to free Kri, another insect experiment created by Stockman, a bunch of his insect super soldier experiments escaped, some being released into New York. This included the Oozequioes which flew off seeking food.
The Mutagen-B compound proved to be highly dangerous and unstable, being able to mutate existing mutants who were bitten by the oozequito and causing Mutagen Poisoning. Mutagen-B was capable of turning even docile creatures into dangerous, aggressive monsters and the condition spread like a plague throughout not just the Rockefeller Contamination Zone, but the whole of New York.
After Donatello was infected, the Turtles, Leatherhead, Lindsey, and Stockman worked together and created a antidote for Mutagen-B, which was then distributed across NYC by the Earth Protection Force. All instances of Oozequitoes were captured or neutralized by the antidote.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Oozequitoes are appear to be very large elephant mosquitoes. They are massive for an insect, about the size of a dog. They can be identified by not just their size, but their serrated proboscis, and their grotesquely swollen abdomens full of experimental mutagen fluid. Their bodies naturally produce a mutagen compound called Mutagen-B.

Perception & Sensory Capabilities

They can smell the blood of animals within a 100 meter radius, as well as detect the type of blood and quality, so they can be selective with their targets. Their proboscises are sharp enough to pierce through flesh and bone. They can also fly quite fast for their weight and can easily catch up with a human at running speed.
They're main weaknesses is that they cannot hear, and rely on vibrations in the ground to detect movement. They also have poor eye sight, and slow reaction time, making them easy to catch off guard with an attack.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like it's parent species, Oozequitoes require a supply of blood to develop its eggs, which it will take from other animals. This blood mixes with it's mutagen rich abdomen, creating a slurry of mutagen and blood from various different animals. While this substance makes great nutrient rich protein for the babies, it also comes with the risk of cross contamination every time an animal is bitten, causing Mutagen Poisoning.
Oozequitoes will lay their eggs in mid summer or early winter before dying off from the cold, and their babies will hatch in early spring.

Growth Rate & Stages

Oozequito larvae eggs can live for years without water and in colder temperature and will only hatch when conditions are right. The live in the water and will hatch in warm temperature bodies of water. Like the adults, Oozequito larvae are much larger than normal mosquito larvae, about a foot long. They are omnivorous and will feed themselves with algae or smaller insects or fish. After only a few weeks, the larvae will pupate into adults.
The larvae are born with a gene that allow them to start producing a natural mutagen compound in their body as soon as they mature into adults. However this drastically effects their life span, as their bodies are ill equipped to handle their mutation.
Adults only live for about 2-3 months before dying of old age.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Adult Oozequitoes don't actually require a constant diet of blood to survive. The males will not drink blood at all, nor produce mutagen, and as a result are much smaller than the females. They consist on a diet of sugar, often seeking out nectar from flowers.
Female oozequitoes are not so lucky. Their large size means they have to look for different sources of nutrients. Their proboscises are powerful enough to saw through some types of tree to drink sap from it, and they will drink pure sugar water if provided it, but otherwise it risks starvation.

Behaviour

Oozequitoes have similar behavior to their unmutated counterparts, but due to their mutation that tend to be more aggressive and more hungry. Since they are nothing more than an gene experiment from Baxter Stockman, they are ill equipped to actually survive in the wild, and will either die, or turn to desperate measures to sustain itself, like attacking larger animals for their blood.

Parent Species

Elephant Mosquito

Geographic Distribution

NYC, Rockefeller Contamination Zone

Scientific Name

Toxorhynchites mutagenis

Lifespan

2-3 months

Average Height

2.5 ft.

Average Length

3 feet

Discovered by

Baxter Stockman