Mediterranean hyalomma
Hyalomma marginatum
The Mediterranean hyalomma is a hard-bodied tick, a tiny relative of spiders with eight legs. It drinks blood from birds and other animals. Ticks can carry germs that make people ill, so this is one creature to stay away from.
Fun fact: this one is not an insect. It is an arachnid with eight legs, a cousin of the spiders.
Lives in
Northern Africa, southern Europe and parts of Asia, and sometimes further north
Can it hurt you?
Dangerous: look, do not touch
It can carry germs that cause serious illness. Look, do not touch, and tell a grown-up if you find a tick on you or your pet.
What does it eat?
It sucks blood. It is often found on birds, such as the pale crag martin.
Ticks: how to stay safe
- In Estonia, the castor bean tick and the taiga tick can carry Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.
- Ticks wait on grass stems, from ankle to knee height. Long trousers tucked into socks and light clothes help you spot them.
- After playing outside, check your body, your hair and your pets for ticks.
- Found a tick? A grown-up should take it out quickly with fine tweezers or a tick tool: hold it close to the skin and pull slowly. No oil or alcohol on it. Then wash the spot.
- There is a vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis, for children too from one year old. Ask your doctor.
- If in the weeks after a bite you get a fever, feel ill or see a red patch that grows, go to a doctor.
How fast is it?
Mediterranean hyalomma about 0.02 km/h (0.01 mph)
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Migrating birds can carry these ticks to new countries.
2
It was found in Germany in 2006, and it has been found in Norway too.
3
It can carry a virus that scientists used to think only mosquitoes spread.
you asked
Most asked questions about Mediterranean hyalomma
?How do these ticks reach new countries?
They hitch a ride on migrating birds.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hyalomma marginatum
- Group
- Scorpions, ticks and friends
- Family
- Ixodidae
- Classification
- Arachnida > Ixodida > Ixodidae
- Lives on
- Africa, Europe, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Hyalomma marginatum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Adam Cuerden. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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