Savage tick-clone armies are sucking cows to death; experts fear for humans | Hacker News Reader

Savage tick-clone armies are sucking cows to death; experts fear for humans

arstechnica.com

33 pointspseudolus13 comments

Ok I thought this was just an overdramatic headline but ticks actually killed a cow by bleeding it dry? What the hell? Holy $&@!#%@!

I would hope humans could at least fight them off if it takes them a while to suck out the blood - jump into an river or something compared to a cow which probably couldn't swat at all of them like a human would. But this is the stuff of horrors

No, your first instinct was right. From the NC Dept of Ag and Consumer services, "Recently, the deaths of five cows in Surry County were linked to acute anemia caused by tick infestations."

>>An unfed female is typically 2.0–2.6 mm long and 1.5–1.8 mm wide, and grows to 9.8 mm long and 8.2 mm wide with engorgement

Keep doing it for a while along with your gazillion friends and the cow is toast.

Amazing how much harm a tick can do....drop hundreds of these few via parachutes in the enemy territory and grab popcorn.

Animals that humans raise are only second in biomass volume to viruses on earth today. Our apetite for meat seems endless, and we can't seem to stop reproducing ourselves. It was only a matter of time until stuff like this would start happening. Also see, swine fever.

You're speaking very generally.

Many peoples of the world don't eat farmed meat the way the western world does, preferring fish or even insect meat as a mainstay. A percentage of the population is vegan or vegetarian.

Also, "we can't stop reproducing" mostly applies to certain Asian countries at this point. The plummeting birth rate in the western/industrialized countries is actually becoming a problem.

Don't let me interfere with your self flagellation on behalf of all humans, though.

Growing up in the upper Midwest as a kid who spent a lot of time outdoors, I never saw or got bit by a single tick. Now they are all over the place. I've read that it's because of climate change making winters less cold and more survivable for them. Regardless, the change is stark.

I probably grew up north-ish of you, but ticks were always a concern if you were in the bush. -40 in the winter wasn't enough to kill them off. Just figured it was normal.

Exsanguination? Hold on a minute. 1000 ticks x how much blood can a tick hold? Maybe 1 cc, say 2 cc giant bloated tick. Thats 2 L of blood extracted over a week or so.

I’m sure that would lay me low, but how much blood is in a cow?

Something doesn’t add up.

why just 1000 ticks? Why feed only once a day? Taking out x liters of blood might take you downhill, no hope of recovery, even though you still have blood left

They are pretty common in India. Not sure if they are the same species. Often found on street dogs and cows. When they are fat enough, they drop.

But I haven't heard of any animal dying because of them. May be these guys produce too many babies.

Was very surprised to read this!! What an invasive species can do suddenly!

Ticks have been killing moose up here in Maine. One biologist found a dead moose with 100,000 ticks on it. They’re a special species of tick that only attacks moose and caribou and animals like that though.

Then I would think cows are not out of their range.

Good movie idea.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com