Tick

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tick

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Ixodida
2. What are ticks and where do they live?Ticks are tiny blood‑sucking arachnids that live in many places on Earth except Antarctica. They like humid, vegetated spots like forests, grasslands, and marshes.
3. How do ticks find a host?Unfed ticks climb onto grass or branches and wait for a passing animal. They sense the animal’s breath, heat, and smell to decide when to bite.

Ectoparasite: A parasite, such as a flea or tick, that lives on the outside of its host.
Obligate Hematophage: An organism that requires blood for survival and reproduction at all post-embryonic stages.
Vector: An organism that transmits a pathogen from one host to another.
Chelicerae and Hypostome: Specialized mouthparts of ticks used for piercing skin, anchoring, and ingesting blood.