Where do Ticks Live
Ticks are small arachnids that are best known for parasitically feeding solely on animal blood. Like all arachnids ticks have 8 legs and the first pair of these legs house the Haller’s organ, which is used for detecting odors and chemicals along with temperature and air currents. This organ is essential for finding a host for the tick. There are 3 separate families of ticks Ixodidae (hard ticks), Argasidae (soft ticks) and Nuttalliekkidae (a single species found in Africa). There are about 900 species of ticks and about 200 of these belong to the soft tick family and 700 to the hard tick family. If you have ever wondered where these animals live, keep reading to find out.
Where do ticks live?
Ticks can be found throughout much of the world. However, they are mostly encountered in regions with a warm climate and high level of humidity. This is because low temperatures prevent development from egg to larva and they also require a certain level of humidity to undergo metamorphosis. Humidity levels also play a role in ensuring the ticks remain adequately hydrated. A habitat must also contain a certain population density of host animals for a population of ticks to survive.
Did you know?
Certain species of ticks are known for carrying a number of diseases, which can be caused by bacteria, viruses or protozoa. Some of the best known diseases that are known to be carried by ticks include; lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, relapsing fever, tularemia, tick-borne meningoencephalitis, babesiosis and cytauxzoonosis. Tick paralysis is also considered to be a tick-borne disease, but it is actually caused by a toxin.
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