How Ticks Dig In With a Mouth Full of Hooks, Deep Look

Support Deep Look on Patreon Why can t you just flick a tick Because it attaches to you with a mouth covered in hooks, while it fattens up on your blood. For days. But don t worry there is a way to pull it out. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look DEEP LOOK: a new ultraHD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. Spring is here. Unfortunately for hikers and picnickers out enjoying the weather, the new season is prime time for ticks, which can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease. How they latch on and stay on is a feat of engineering that scientists have been piecing together. Once you know how a ticks mouth works, you understand why its impossible to simply flick a tick. The key to their success is a menacing mouth covered in hooks that they use to get under the surface of ou