#TICK

[arvalis]

I accidentally spent 80 hours painting my own take on a Mimic. Please take a look.

Can see higher res here

[hellsitegenetics]

You know, you're so fucking awesome man. I get so happy when I see the notifications on my phone when you post or reblog something with a string attached. Stay awesome ;]>

String identified: , ' cg a a. gt a t tcat t g tg t a tg attac. ta a ;]>

Closest match: Ornithodoros turicata uncharacterized LOC135383003 (LOC135383003), ncRNA Common name: Relapsing Fever Tick

(image source)

[onenicebugperday]

Eastern black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodidae

Commonly known as the deer tick, this species is a vector for several diseases, most notably Lyme disease. In most cases, the tick must be attached for at least 36 hours to transmit the disease.

Photos 1-3 by allysonv, 4 (for scale) by adeans, 5 (engorged) by duncan10, and 6 (male - all others are female) by sambiology

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON MY BUG POSTS ARE NOT ALLOWED. That includes posts about potentially harmful species. Negative commenters will be blocked.

[wojakgallery]

Title/Name:  Tickjak Wojak Series:  Soyjak (Variant), Animal (Variant). Image submission by: xalatath on Tumblr Image by: Unknown Main Tag: Tick Wojak

[typhlonectes]

Lizards may be protecting people from Lyme disease in the southeastern U.S.

The reptiles make poor hosts for transmitting the infection.

Lyme disease is one of the most devastating tick-borne infections in the United States, affecting more than 300,000 people each year. It's also one of the most mysterious: The creature that spreads it—the black-legged tick—lives throughout the country. Yet the northeastern United States is home to far more cases than anywhere else. Now, researchers have identified an unexpected reason: lizards. Black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), also known as deer ticks, carry corkscrew-shaped bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The ticks pick up the pathogens—spirochetes that belong to the genus Borrelia—when they suck the blood of animals like mice, deer, and lizards. In the next stage of their life cycle, the ticks may latch onto an unlucky human. But every host transmits the microbes differently. Reptiles are worse transmitters than mammals, so ticks that have lived on reptiles are less likely to make people sick. The north-south divide in Lyme cases is a fairly sharp line right along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Researchers have hypothesized that disparity in cases stems from ticks feeding on different hosts in the two regions...

Read more: https://www.science.org/content/article/lizards-may-be-protecting-people-lyme-disease-southeastern-united-states

[textless]

Tick-o-rama!

When I first spotted these clumps on tall grasses in Olare Motorogi Conservancy, in Kenya, I thought they were some kind of insect eggs. (My vision isn't as sharp as it once was.) But when I touched a piece of grass, the tiny specks started moving... because they were thousands of baby ticks!

There is no Lyme disease in Kenya, but there is an illness called African tick bite fever that is no joke. I didn't see a single mosquito during my trip - it wasn't their season - but these little guys made me glad to have hardcore insect repellent on hand.

So. Many. Ticks.

[justinmadson]

The Tick, Arthur and American Maid

[driveintheaterofthemind]

The Tick

Art by Mike McKone

[knightsiscrabs]

the Bugs can move btw. they have little vibrating motors in them

[weepingwidar]

Emma Steinkraus (American, 1987) - Tick Check (2023)

[babyjapril]

Grey's Anatomy 6.04

Tainted Obligation

[astralbondpro]

The Tick // S01E10: The Tick vs. Pineapple Pokopo

[vintagewildlife]

Ovipositing tick By: Lee Jenkins From: The Insect World 1958

[onenicebugperday]

So, I've been thinking about this one for a long while now. What purpose do ticks serve in ecosystems? Because they have always been the one thing I genuinely don't understand. They're incredibly tough to crack open when they're not engorged, to the point that as far as I am aware most things that would be willing to predate on something of a tick's size just wont go after ticks. The only organism I know of that goes after ticks before they are engorged is opossums, and they're not dependent on ticks for their food source. So then.... what is it that ticks do for the ecosystem?

Mosquitos are so much more than just the ones that drink blood and feed so many different species, leches also are prey animals. They have ecological roles. But I just don't understand ticks. And I really want to understand them.

I think you're looking at it wrong. No organism is there to serve a role in the ecosystem. It's there to serve itself by surviving and reproducing. But in general, parasites provide population control for their host animals.

If you want to learn more about them, check out this informational animated series about them:

There are three parts, this is just part 1.

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I had a tick sucked onto my throat and the doctor I went to plucked it off with her fingers pinched in a quick manner while saying, “Yoink”.

[biancathebrawler]

Both are ADORABLE!💣💧 pls let me know in the comments who you think is cuter!🫶🏻 for anyone new, comment and you’ll get a free follow!😊 (not my art)