As you head out to enjoy some outdoor time in nature this weekend, there is one animal that you should be on the lookout for: ticks. Spring is prime time for ticks! The spring brings a particular threat to Northern California, where small immature ticks called nymphs become more abundant. Ticks can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease. How they latch on — and stay on — is a feat of engineering that scientists have been piecing together. Once you know how a tick’s mouth works, you’ll understand why it’s impossible to simply flick a tick. Find out more about how ticks dig into you or your dog’s skin with a mouthful of hooks, and how you can safely get rid of them in this week’s video and newsletter.
In a behavior known as questing, ticks wave their two front legs until they find a host to latch onto. They can sense humans and other animals by the carbon dioxide they give off. Once a tick latches on, it will bite into its host and feed on its blood for several days. Find out how to remove it properly in our video.
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A tick nymph, or young tick, digs its mouth into the skin of a human arm.
⚓A tick digs in using two sets of hooks. Each set looks like a hand with three hooked fingers. The hooks dig in and wriggle into the skin. Those hooks act like mini harpoons, anchoring the tick to us for the long haul.
📅 Ticks need to stay firmly attached because they’re going in for a blood meal that can last for three to 10 days, depending on whether they’re young ticks or adult females.
🩸An adult female tick drinks so much blood during its one meal that its weight increases 200 times. A female tick will use that blood to make her eggs.
🔍 Western blacklegged ticks can transmit Lyme disease bacteria. The nymphs (young ticks) are most commonly found in leaf litter, mossy rocks, wood products like downed logs, tree trunks and even wooden picnic tables!
PLAY
Name That Critter!
It looks like a Frankenstein creation of monster body parts. But it doesn’t bite or sting or use venom to defend itself from predators. Instead, it aims its tail and sprays a blast of acid to defend itself. What is it? Find the answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
Behind The Scenes
Filming Ticks with Kerry Padgett
Kerry Padgett collects ticks in the field by running a piece of white cloth over the top of the vegetation.
It takes a lot of time and effort to produce each episode of Deep Look, and we couldn’t do it without the help of scientists and other valuable collaborators who have closely worked with us over the years. Meet Kerry Padgett, Chief of the High Risk Pathogens Section at the Microbial Diseases Laboratory Branch of the Center for Laboratory Sciences at the California Department of Public Health. What’s her advice for removing a tick? She recommends grabbing the tick close to the skin using a pair of fine tweezers and simply pulling straight up.
She provided Gabriela with ticks to film and even offered up her own arm to be bitten for this episode. Find out more over on Patreon.
Vinegaroon! The vinegaroon – also known as a whip scorpion – sprays a blast of acid that reeks of – you guessed it – vinegar to defend itself. Only, this weaponized vinegar is 16 times stronger than what’s in your salad.
