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Common Name: Relict Tick

Scientific Name: Haemaphysalis concinna

 

Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Ixodida

Family: Ixodoidea

Genus: Haemaphysalis

Species: H. concinna

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There are about 900 different tick species on this planet. One of these species is a common rodent tick known as the Relict Tick or Bush Tick. They can be found in any part of the world. Being only the size of a sesame seed, don’t underestimate what this tick can do.  They can transmit to you numerous amounts of diseases.
 

Let’s move on to more about what they look like and their ‘personal’ information. They look like a small speck like said above, the size of a sesame seed. They are brown with no distinguishing markings. They have adapted to living in cold climates and they generally live where it’s warm.
 

Relict Ticks can be found in places ranging from Europe to the United States. The population is over  10,000,000. They continue to spread and make more all over the place. These ticks have started to expand their populations into northern areas. Ticks are making their way to climates that were previously too cold for them. They are not being reserved or protected because they are obviously far from the brink of extinction.

Relict Ticks, like all animals, need to eat. However, they don’t so much eat, as they drink. Blood. From small mammals such birds or cats, to dogs and horses. Even humans.  They eat by making a small incision into the skin, and they bury their heads in you and simply live on the diet of blood. Things that may try to make a tick prey is birds or small rodents. The tick is then helpless once targeted.

The tick doesn’t really play a major role in our lives, they are in fact a pest. They stand out because they are like vampires and they can be fascinating to people who are interested in spiders and other small creatures.

Author: Rebecca F.

Date Published: 02/2013

 

Sources: http://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_multi_where_are_flea_and_tick_populations_worst#.USbIQ9VrnK0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick
 

Photo Credit:

www.visitmonmouth.com for the picture

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