How do ticks bite animals? - briefly
Ticks attach to the host’s skin with a barbed mouthpart called the hypostome, which pierces the epidermis and secures the parasite while a feeding tube is inserted. Their saliva, rich in anticoagulants and immunomodulatory agents, enables continuous blood ingestion.
How do ticks bite animals? - in detail
Ticks locate a host through heat, carbon‑dioxide, and movement cues. When a suitable animal passes, the tick climbs onto the skin and adopts a forward‑facing posture, extending its forelegs to grasp the fur or hair. The feeding apparatus, housed at the front of the body, consists of a pair of chelicerae that cut the epidermis, a pair of palps that guide the insert, and a barbed hypostome that penetrates the dermis. The hypostome’s backward‑pointing teeth anchor the parasite, preventing dislodgement while the tick draws blood.
During the first minutes, the tick injects a complex saliva containing anticoagulants, anti‑inflammatory compounds, and immunomodulators. These agents keep the blood flowing, mask the wound from the host’s immune response, and create a stable feeding site. Simultaneously, the tick secretes a proteinaceous cement that hardens around the mouthparts, further securing attachment.
Blood intake proceeds in two phases. In the slow phase, the tick draws small volumes, allowing time for pathogen transmission if the parasite carries microbes. In the rapid engorgement phase, the tick expands its body manyfold, ingesting up to several times its unfed weight within days. The gut stores the blood, while excess fluid is excreted as a concentrated urine called “cestode.”
After feeding, the cement dissolves, the mouthparts retract, and the tick drops off the host. The entire process, from attachment to detachment, can last from several hours in some species to more than a week in others, depending on tick life stage and host size.