Sure, we all know ticks are nuisance but do really know what they are and what they do. Here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about those pesky ticks.
1. Ticks are arachnids. Meaning, they are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than insects.
2. Ticks have four life stages: egg, larva (infant), nymph (immature), and adult (mature).
3. There about 850 tick species, some of which are capable of transmitting diseases such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
4. Ticks feed on the blood of their host — humans, birds, reptiles, and wild and domestic mammals.
5. Ticks may appear as a small dark speck on your pet’s fur.
6. Tick infestations are more common in dogs than cats.
7. Ticks are generally not born with disease agents. They acquire them during feeding and pass them along onto other animals during subsequent feedings.
8. Pets may contract multiple diseases from a single tick bite.
9. The brown dog tick and the American dog tick are the most common carriers of disease among dogs.
10. Never remove a tick with your bare hand. Instead, using tweezers, grasp the tick close to the skin and pull gently.
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Thanks to PETMD for portions of this article