--- description: This makes a Sharknado seem utterly pleasant title: Real Life Mosquito Tornado Spotted in Portugal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # There Is Nothing More Terrifying Than This Mosquito Tornado by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 28, 2014 4:53 PM CUT by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 28, 2014 4:53 PM CUT Even if the premise of [_Sharknado_](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/12/perfect-storm-the-genius-of-sharknado/ "undefined") came true, it would be nothing compared to this real life funnel cloud monstrosity made entirely out of mosquitos. It’s a MOSQUITONADO: Photographer Ana Filipa Scarpa noticed this phenomenon while visiting Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. Though it looked like a funnel cloud, she realized it was actually a swarm of moving insects. “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,” Scarpa[ told ](http://io9.com/why-this-tornado-is-infinitely-more-terrifying-than-a-1581975036 "undefined")io9\. “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.” As she got closer, some mosquitos actually entered her car. She estimated that the swarm extended about 1,000 feet high. Well, have fun with your lifelong nightmares, everybody. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/124434/mosquito-tornado/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/124434/mosquito-tornado/"},"headline":"There Is Nothing More Terrifying Than This Mosquito Tornado","datePublished":"2014-05-28T16:53:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:10:05.710Z","description":"This makes a Sharknado seem utterly pleasant","url":"https://time.com/124434/mosquito-tornado/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bizarre","sharknado","tornado","mosquitos"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/124434/mosquito-tornado/","name":"There Is Nothing More Terrifying Than This Mosquito Tornado"}}]}] ```