What does an ixodid tick feed on? - briefly
Ixodid (hard) ticks obtain nutrients solely by sucking the blood of vertebrate hosts, including mammals, birds, and reptiles. Every life stage—larva, nymph, and adult—must take a blood meal to progress to the next stage or to reproduce.
What does an ixodid tick feed on? - in detail
Ixodid ticks, commonly known as hard ticks, are obligate hematophages; they obtain nourishment exclusively from the blood of vertebrate hosts. During the larval stage, individuals typically attach to small mammals such as rodents, shrews, and sometimes ground‑dwelling birds. After molting to the nymphal stage, the range of suitable hosts expands to include medium‑sized mammals—rabbits, hares, foxes, and certain bird species—providing the larger blood volume required for development. Adult females, which require the greatest amount of nutrients for egg production, preferentially feed on large mammals: deer, cattle, horses, dogs, and, when opportunities arise, humans.
Key aspects of the feeding process:
- Attachment: The tick inserts its hypostome, a barbed feeding apparatus, into the host’s skin and secretes cement-like substances to secure itself.
- Saliva composition: Salivary fluids contain anticoagulants, immunomodulatory proteins, and enzymes that facilitate prolonged blood ingestion while minimizing host detection.
- Feeding duration: Larvae and nymphs may remain attached for 2–5 days; adult females can feed for up to 10 days, ingesting several milliliters of blood.
- Nutrient acquisition: Blood provides proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and micronutrients essential for growth, molting, and, in females, vitellogenesis (egg development).
Host selection is driven by ecological availability, questing behavior, and the tick’s life‑stage requirements. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and vegetation density influence questing activity and consequently the probability of encountering suitable hosts.