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    danielnoahsmommy's Avatar
    danielnoahsmommy Posts: 2,506, Reputation: 297
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    #1

    Apr 13, 2009, 05:09 AM
    What kind of tick is this?
    I got bit by a tick yesterday it was brown with a red dot. Can't find info on what type of tick it is
    ROLCAM's Avatar
    ROLCAM Posts: 1,420, Reputation: 23
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    #2

    Apr 13, 2009, 05:24 AM

    This article might help :-

    Tick is the name of a small animal which is related to mites, spiders, and scorpions. The tick is oval in shape. It is a parasite, which means that it lives on other animals. Ticks and mites cause various diseases in human beings and in domestic animals. Ticks often carry certain disease germs in their bodies and transfer these germs to the blood of their victims. Sometimes the bites of ticks are poisonous. Cases of paralysis are known to have followed their attacks. However, such effects are not common, and the victim usually recovers rapidly once the tick is removed.

    Ticks and mites look much alike in body structure, but ticks are larger. Ticks look somewhat like insects but are not. Most kinds of ticks can be seen without a magnifying glass. They live only on animal fluids. But some mites feed on plant juices and tissues, on decaying matter, and on insects and other mites.

    The bodies of ticks seem to be all in one piece. But some have a groove behind the head. The head is a movable part at the front end of the body. Ticks draw blood through a beak. Other body parts help ticks cling tightly to their host. Adult ticks have eight legs which stick out on the sides like those of a crab.

    The tick lays eggs in dead leaves or other ground rubbish. The eggs hatch into flat, six-legged larvae. These larvae wait on grass stalks and shrubs for passing animals. Once attached, they gorge on the blood of these animals and swell up. Then, they cease to eat and begin to molt (shed their outer covering). After this, they become eight-legged nymphs. The nymphs resume feeding, molt again, and then are adults.

    While the various kinds of ticks have special names, such as chicken, cattle, dog, or sheep tick, few of them are limited to one kind of animal. Many that attack animals also annoy human beings. Eight species are pests on cattle in the United States.

    The American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever to humans. The disease causes a few deaths each year in the United States. Deer ticks transmit Lyme disease to humans. If untreated, this disease can lead to chronic arthritis and heart and nerve disorders. The common English sheep tick, which lives in America, infests dogs and cattle.

    Wood ticks often trouble people walking and camping in the woods. To remove a wood tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick's mouthparts as close to the skin as possible. Grasping the body may cause the head or mouthparts to break off and cause infection. Apply a firm, steady pull to remove the tick. Do not try to remove a tick by burning it off, or by coating it with nail polish, oil, or petroleum jelly. Avoid handling the tick with bare hands if the hands have cuts or scratches. Wash the hands after removing the tick and apply antiseptic to the wound. Save the tick for identification.

    Scientific classification. Ticks belong to the class of arachnids. Together with mites, they make up the order Acarina. The scientific name for the Rocky Mountain wood tick is Dermacentor andersoni. The American dog tick is D. variabilis.

    Contributor: Edwin W. Minch, Ph.D. Environmental Specialist, Arizona Department of Agriculture.
    danielnoahsmommy's Avatar
    danielnoahsmommy Posts: 2,506, Reputation: 297
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    #3

    Apr 13, 2009, 05:42 AM

    Thank you for all your wonderful info. It helped a lot. But I was also wondering what king of tick it is as I looked up the ticks found in my area and it looked like none of them. I live in ny state if that helps
    ROLCAM's Avatar
    ROLCAM Posts: 1,420, Reputation: 23
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    #4

    Apr 13, 2009, 06:10 AM

    I live in Sydney Australia.
    They are very prevalent in this part of the world.
    There is a very good source of information
    On this site:-

    Tick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    gnahcd's Avatar
    gnahcd Posts: 215, Reputation: 39
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    #5

    Apr 13, 2009, 08:40 AM

    Here is a website with 5 different species pictured:

    Dog Tick Diseases - How to Protect Your Dog from Tick Illnesses
    Catsmine's Avatar
    Catsmine Posts: 3,826, Reputation: 739
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    #6

    Apr 13, 2009, 04:27 PM
    Did it look anything like this one?Image Search Results
    danielnoahsmommy's Avatar
    danielnoahsmommy Posts: 2,506, Reputation: 297
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    #7

    Apr 13, 2009, 04:51 PM

    Nope. It was brown like the one you showed but it had a red dot
    Catsmine's Avatar
    Catsmine Posts: 3,826, Reputation: 739
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    #8

    Apr 14, 2009, 02:09 AM
    Down south we have seen the dots on the back of both dog ticks and wood ticks in several colors. The only tick I can recall that has a specific color reference is the lone star tick, which has a white dot. Was the red spot right behind the head or further down on the abdomen?
    danielnoahsmommy's Avatar
    danielnoahsmommy Posts: 2,506, Reputation: 297
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    #9

    Apr 14, 2009, 03:52 AM

    Right behind the head
    Catsmine's Avatar
    Catsmine Posts: 3,826, Reputation: 739
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    #10

    Apr 15, 2009, 02:00 AM
    My best guess would be the brown dog tick, then. I have seen them with brown, red, and even yellow spots.

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