A PhD student who wanted to capture in detail the process of a mosquito sucking his blood has admitted he allowed them to bite him repeatedly before finally recording the perfect video in the name of science.

The efforts of Yu Wenbo, a doctoral candidate at Nanjing Forestry University in China, were rewarded when he posted it online and it instantly went viral, attracting thousands of views across different social media platforms.

He said: "I'm here to put on a show for everyone!

"I will demonstrate exactly how mosquitoes feed on human blood!"

The footage, filmed in Hefei, Anhui Province, on 21st May, shows a mosquito gradually bloating as it fills with blood, while Yu holds his hand steady to avoid disturbing it.

He explained: "Mosquitoes can consume several times their own body weight in blood, so you can clearly see their bellies expand when they’re full."

He described how the mosquito used its sharp proboscis to pierce the skin, found a blood vessel, injected saliva to numb the area, and then began feeding.

Yu identified the insect as Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, with its distinctive black-and-white striped body.

Although the species is notorious for causing intense itching, Yu noted: "The itching is caused by an allergic reaction to proteins in mosquito saliva," and said the severity of the reaction varies from person to person.

His video quickly gained traction, with more than 150,000 likes and a flood of comments from users joking that he was “risking his life for science.”

(Simona Kitanovska / newsX)