When it comes to longevity and surviving extended amounts of time without food, the Argas brumpti species of African tick is hard to beat, newly published research shows.
Observed close-up in the lab over the course of 45 years by entomologist Julian Shepherd from Binghamton University in New York, some of these ticks have survived as long as 27 years – way above the average of 2-3 years for tick species in general.What's more, some of the arachnids were able to survive an astonishing eight years without any food, which is impressive even for a creature that's evolved to get by without much to eat or drink.
And for a final trick, one of the female ticks laid eggs four years after the death of the last male tick in the group. This is most likely down to the female being able to store male sperm for a much longer period of time than normal. "The longevity of these ticks is apparently a record for any species of tick," writes Shepherd in a newly"The delay in reproduction likely represents long-term storage of viable sperm, also apparently a record for any species of tick."
The original ticks were a gift to Shepherd in 1976, and he set them up for observation in his lab under stable conditions – 21 degrees Celsius or 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and 81 percent relative humidity. The offspring of that original group are still alive and reproducing today. It was when the food source – rabbits, mice and blood from rats – ran out in 1984 that the research into starvation started, and it was halfway through the eight-year fast that the last original male tick died.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
25 years later, Legion of Christ victims seek reparationsIt has been 25 years since a Connecticut newspaper exposed one of the Catholic Church’s biggest sexual abuse scandals.
Leer más »
Mom pays teen son $1,800 to stay off social media for 6 yearsA Minnesota man paid her son $1,800 to stay off social media for 6 years and she feels it allowed him to escape many of the pressure teenagers face today.
Leer más »
Trashy Lingerie, a Hollywood Fixture, Has Been Quietly Dressing Stars For YearsMadonna, Diva Von Teese, and Paris Hilton all love its one-of-a-kind lingerie.
Leer más »
35 Years On, The Cure in Orange Is Still a Beacon of the Band's Radical VulnerabilityDespite the wealth of concert material Cure fans have access to, one film stands above the rest as a thesis statement for the band and why they remain deathless after so many years.
Leer más »
Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen's death changes nationNEW YORK (AP) — Trayvon Martin’s final night began with a convenience store run, a quick trip for candy and something to drink. It ended in a confrontation with a neighborhood watch volunteer, a shot fired, the 17-year-old dead on the street.
Leer más »
Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen's death changes nationThe killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a stranger still reverberates 10 years later -- in protest, in partisanship, in racial reckoning and reactionary response, in social justice and social media.
Leer más »