Unknown Tasmanian Tick
Location: Tasmania, Australia
February 1, 2011 8:47 am
Hello, I found this in my house, and was at first very puzzled by it. Looking at it now I think it must be some sort of tick, but I hope it’s not dangerous. I would be very grateful if you could help me. Thank you.
Signature: Joseph Vince
Tick
Dear Joseph,
You are correct. This is a Tick. Ticks are blood suckers and there are many blood born pathogens, so Ticks are vectors for many viral diseases. We cannot say for certain that this Tick is dangerous, but we would urge you to use caution where Ticks are concerned.
Florida Cat Tick
Location: Tampa, Florida
December 27, 2010 12:27 pm
Hi. I live in Tampa, Florida, near the Lutz-Tampa County Line Road. For the last 2 months we’ve seen a whole bunch of these ticks on our outdoor cat (his chin and neck) but we bring him inside when the night-time weather will be below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.78 Celsius) so he’s spent a lot of time inside lately because its been a cold winter. He brought some in with him. I just pulled a fat blood-engorged one off our strictly indoor cat and was wondering if it could have caused her recent FUO (fever of unknown origin). Her temp fluctuated between 101.3 and 105.2 F (38.5-40.67 C) for a week and a half. Fever, and the lethargy and appetite loss that accompany it, were her only symptoms. I took her to the vet when the fever got dangerously high (seizures and brain damage high); a round of antibiotics helped her beat it. (P.S. Normally a cat’s temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 F or 38-39.16 C, and I didn’t take her sooner because I knew techniques to ke ep her hydrated and get her to eat.)
It doesn’t look like (basic body shape) the tick pics I’ve seen. Its legs all seem to be in the front, near its head, instead of spread out across the body. I was thinking maybe it is not in the adult stage. Also, its blood sac was more dark brown before I put it in rubbing alcohol (now it’s tan/yellow). Its body is soft, not hard.
The squares of the graph paper are 5 mm x 5 millimeters.
Also, I would like to know what you think about HOW I removed the tick. I followed the instructions here.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-a-tick/
The directions say to rub the tick in a circular motion like you’re trying to make it dizzy. I tried it and the tick released after about ten seconds. It worked BEAUTIFULLY!
Unfortunately, one of the site comments discouraged this technique, as annoying a tick with rubbing alcohol, vaseline, matches, or squeezing (and apparently spinning) can make the tick spit/regurgitate into the bloodstream some nasty, harmful pathogens. What do you think? (I think that the spinning technique works so fast that even if it is an irritant that could make them spit, they release so quickly that they don’t have a chance to.)
I’d really like to ID the tick because my brother thinks my cat is starting to act lethargic again.
Also, (SORRY) if I want to store the tick, in case my cat DOES get sick again, so that the tick can be tested for diseases. Do I leave it in rubbing alcohol or put it in something else, because I saw on a CSI episode that they couldn’t do a DNA test on a severed head because it had been transported/preserved in formaldehyde.
Signature: Katie Kitty
Tick
Dear Katie Kitty,
We are very reluctant to give medical advice, and that includes advice for pets as well as people. We would strongly suggest that you consult with a veterinarian regarding your questions. We can tell you that Ticks are known carriers of pathogens including Lyme Disease. We imagine that preserving a Tick in rubbing alcohol may render any testing for pathogens unreliable. We believe this may be a Black Legged Tick or Deer Tick, Ixodes scapularis, based on an image posted to BugGuide.
Tick
¶ Posted 27 December 2010 § ‡ ° Please help me to identify this bug!
June 4, 2010
I found this insect on the floor in my house. I picked it up because I at first thought it was an old grape or something my kids had left around, and when I flipped it over, I saw legs, which seemed to be curled up or tucked in somehow. Still believing the thing to be dead, I put it on the counter and went to fetch my husband. Upon our return the legs were extended. I live in southern Ontario, Canada, and it is early June; mid spring. It has been freaking me out a little as I hate having bugs in the house, and I have never seen anything like this thing before. I’m still not even sure if the specimen is alive or dead… Image one is the underside (I think) and shows the little legs and “face like” markings. Image two is from the top and image three is a profile of sorts.. Help!
Sherri
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Tick
Hi Sherri,
This is a blood engorged Tick. It may have entered the house attached to your dog. After the Tick engorged itself on your dog’s blood, it dropped off.
¶ Posted 05 June 2010 § ‡ ° Is this a tick?
March 7, 2010
I found this on the front sidewalk. It moves slow and you can hardly see its legs. It is the color of dirty khaki. It looks like a tick, but is nearly as big as a dime. The usual ticks we see here in Colorado are much smaller and darker in color. The pictures with a small piece of bark are of the belly and the other of its back.
Nancy
Boulder CO
Tick
Hi Nancy,
You are correct. This is a Tick and it appears to be engorged with blood. According to BugGuide: “Hard ticks have three distinct life stages. Larvae emerge from the egg having six legs. After obtaining a blood meal from a vertebrate host, they molt to the nymphal stage and acquire eight legs. Nymphs feed and molt to the next and final stage (the adult), which also has eight legs. After feeding once more, the adult female hard tick lays one batch of thousands of eggs and then dies. Only one blood meal is taken during each of the three life stages. The time to completion of the entire life cycle may vary from less than a year in tropical regions to over three years in cold climates, where certain stages may enter diapause until hosts are again available. Many hard ticks can go for several months without feeding if not unduly duressed by environmental conditions.“
¶ Posted 10 March 2010 § ‡ ° unknown creature concave bug- very ugly
February 24, 2010
i found them in my place so i would like to know what are they.
cannot find any ID so please help.
quite big creatures usually transparent up to 7-8 mm big.
thanks
Lazar from Slovenia
Ljubljana
Pigeon Tick
Hi Lazar,
This is a Tick, and its concave shape indicates it is hungry for blood.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
BUT HOW CAN THIS TICK BE SO BIG?? AND WHY THEY LIVE IN MY FLAT?? AND THEY ARE FAST WHILE TICKS ARE SLOW.
I KNOW WHAT ARE TICKS. I AM FROM VILLAGE AND I KNOW THIS RACES..USUALLY HUMAN AND DOG TICKS..ALL HAVE SOME KIND OF A BAG FOR A BLOOD
THIS ONE HAS NO SUCH THING AND ALSO THERE IS NO MOUTH! IF YOU TURN IT JUST PLAIN SHAPE WITHOUT STING MOUTH.
ALSO THIS ARE CREATURES TO 1 CM AND THAT IS FAAAR FAAAR TOO BIG. HUMAN TICKS I KNOW THEY ARE FROM 0,05 CM TO 0,1 CM AND I GET PLENTY OF THEM BECAUSE I GO REGULAR IN SEARCH OF MUSHROOMS AND METAL DETECTING. DOG TICKS ARE QUITE BIGGER AND IN NORMAL SIZE THEY ARE ABOUT 0,2 CM TO 0,4 CM. WHEN THEY ARE FULL OF BLOOD I KNOW THEY ARE MASSIVE- UP TO 2 CM!! NOT GOOD IN US GRADE SO I TELL IN EUROPEAN METRIC.
I CAUGHT THIS DOG TICKS IN BOSNIA ONLY. BUT I SEE THEM INSTANTLY AND HAD NO BITES TILL NOW! BUT I PULL THEM OFTEN FROM A DOG.
SO THIS MY CREATURE IS ALREADY IN NORMAL SIZE 1 CM!!! THAT IS A SIZE OF A HALF FULL DOG TICK. AND IF THEY HAD OPPORTUNITY TO SUCK BLOOD THEY WOULD BE AT LEAST 5 CM BIG!! THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!??
IT IS A SHAME I DIDN’T TURN IT AROUND SO I CAN SHOW YOU THAT IT IS A PLAIN SHAPE WITHOUT SEPARATION AND PLACE FOR A BLOOD BAG.
PLEASE IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY! THEY LIVE IN MY APARTMENT AND I AM NOT HAPPY!
AND I LIVE IN 4th FLOOR!!!
PLEASE TELL ME SOME GOOD NEWS BECAUSE MY ROOMMATE IS FREAKING OUT- SHE GONNA KILL ME :-S
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HELPING ME
HOPE IT IS NOT A NEW KIND BECAUSE IT IS TOO UGLY TO HAVE MY NAME!
LAZAR
Hi again Lazar,
This comment just arrived.
Daniel
Faithful Reader Karl identifies another one
I think this could be a Pigeon Tick (Argas reflexus), a common tick of central and southern Europe. They usually feed on pigeons, but if none are available they may also feed on other birds or, rarely, humans. Do you perhaps have pigeons nesting in your eaves or attic? Like most ticks, they can transmit some diseases, and apparently can cause problems for people who have an allergy to their bights. By its size I would say this one is a female.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argas_reflexus.jpg
http://www.ambitec.de/schaedlinge/insekten/taubenzecke/index.html
THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
NOW I KNOW WHY I HAVE SO MUCH PROBLEMS WITH ALLERGIES!
WISH YOU ALL GOOD AND BEST REGARDS
LAZAR
¶ Posted 24 February 2010 § ‡ ° Son (partially) ate this blood-containing insect. Help!
December 28, 2009
Photos are of a non-eaten, but same, insect. Flea? Tick? Found indoors in Berkeley, CA home during cold, intermittently rainy weather. Had not noticed any before in 4 years here; recently have seen several. Dog present in home. Have not noticed any bites on people in home.
Possibly an intermittent stage (a pupa?)as the whitish covering seems to conceal a brown, patterned surface. Very slow-moving; 1/4th of an inch long, a little under 1/8th inch high. Bean-shaped body (i.e., not flattened).
Contained enough of what I think was animal or human blood (reddish brown, iron-scented and tasting) to cover my 13 month old’s chin. Worried about tapeworms, Lyme diease, other things I don’t even know about!
What is it??
Worried mom
Berkeley (Northern coastal) CA
Dog Tick
Dear Worried Mom,
This is a Tick, probably an American Dog Tick, Dermacentor variabilis. Though dogs are the preferred host, they will bite humans. Ticks are known vectors for disease, and you should try to rid your dog and home of this blood sucker.
Hello Daniel,
Thank you! I looked at pictures of ticks on the internet, but all the descriptions seemed to
be of a much smaller insect. Our local vector control, which offers an insect ID service, is closed for the holidays for budgetary reasons.
I will now look into safe ways of getting rid of ticks.
Gretchen
Hi again Gretchen,
Ticks increase in size when they are engorged with blood like the specimen in the photo you provided.
¶ Posted 31 December 2009 § ‡ ° Small spider with very big bulge?
December 7, 2009
Hi, This is a picture of a bug (spider?) that my mom’s dog brought home. It was in her fur, fell off, and as you can see, mom captured it in a glass. I presume to put it outside. Ever seen anything like it?
Buttongirl
Terrasse Vaudreuil, Quebec, CANADA
Tick
Dear Buttongirl,
This is a blood engorged Tick, not a spider. It probably fed off of your mother’s dog before falling to the ground.
¶ Posted 12 December 2009 § ‡ ° what kind of bug is this?
November 16, 2009
Aloha
i found this bug and several more on my dog and on my sofa. Is this a tick? please view photo and let me know if this is in fact a tick or if not what kind of bug is it?
thank you
gmr
Oahu Hawaii
Tick
Dear gmr,
This is indeed a Tick.
¶ Posted 17 November 2009 § ‡ ° 
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