Sunday, July 1, 2012

Class "mates" to spiders

Remember that we mentioned spiders were from the class of arachnids? Well, spiders aren't the only insect in that class... there are also the scorpions, ticks, mites, and long leg spiders. These creatures aren't called spiders because they don't have the two distinct body parts that the spiders have.
What exactly is a daddy long legs?
It is called a harvestman and has a round body suspended between eight long, scrawny legs. It has only one body section. It feeds on plant lice and other small insects that destroy the garden. It has no fangs or venom and its only defense is a stinky smell.
What is a tick?
The tick is dependent on other animals... it is called a parasite. It buries its head into the host and feasts on its blood. The tick will sometimes swallow so much blood that it will swell many times its original size... to look like a small grape.
What is a mite?
The smallest of the arachnids is the mite. The mite usually causes skin irritation. Chiggers are small mites that live in grass, get on our skin, feed on our blood, then drop off and bury into the soil to become an adult later. Most mites are so small that we cannot see them without a microscope.

Studying science online with the help of great resources can make learning science a blast.

No comments:

Post a Comment