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If both of these parasites disappeared off the face of the earth, we'd all be better off. Why did Noah let them get on the Ark??
Note that there are thousands of species of mosquitoes of which only about 100 feed on mammalian blood. 7 of those transmit diseases such as malaria, zika, West Nile, chikungunya, and a few others.
If we could wipe out only the bloodsuckers, the remaining species would just continue pollinating and feeding bats, frogs, etc.
I have no idea what niche ticks fill, nor do I care. Wipe. Them. Out.
If both of these parasites disappeared off the face of the earth, we'd all be better off. Why did Noah let them get on the Ark??
Note that there are thousands of species of mosquitoes of which only about 100 feed on mammalian blood. 7 of those transmit diseases such as malaria, zika, West Nile, chikungunya, and a few others.
If we could wipe out only the bloodsuckers, the remaining species would just continue pollinating and feeding bats, frogs, etc.
I have no idea what niche ticks fill, nor do I care. Wipe. Them. Out.
Favorite snack of possums.
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Best of all, opossums have a taste for ticks. Their long, pointy snouts make them a veritable cordless vacuum when it comes to these disease-spreading vectors. In fact, they can eliminate an astonishing 95 percent of ticks from the immediate environment. That adds up to some 5,000 insects per opossum, per season.
I've always wondered what role ticks play in the ecosystem.
Mosquitoes
Roaches
Fleas
A few less house sparrows wouldn't be bad either - they kill things like bluebirds! (they are not protected in the US)
Mosquitoes and Fleas.
Surprisingly, cockroaches aren't a big problem around here as they mostly stay outside. But mosquitoes and fleas, sayanora and hasta la vista.
I've often thought if we ever colonized another planet that was without life, we needed to be sure that we never let a mosquito travel to that new world.
A few less house sparrows wouldn't be bad either - they kill things like bluebirds! (they are not protected in the US)
In North America, yes, house sparrows and starlings wouldn't be a bad thing to go. But not in Eurasia, where they are native. Do local extinctions count for this thread?
BTW, house sparrows don't directly kill bluebirds, they just compete with them for nest sites.
Ticks can provide a nutritious meal for reptiles and birds...possibly a more nutritious one than that offered by other similarly-sized insects because of what they feed on: blood. Some would consider blood a very complete nutritious meal and it's already been metabolized! You are what you eat. Something that eats you also eats what you do. There are a number of birds that target ticks, lice, and other ectoparasites as they ride around on their larger hosts. Even tiny biting bugs provide a meal for something.
I imagine you're correct, Parnassia.... yet I'd still like to see ticks eliminated.
Interesting thread! But to reference the above, "highly" probably doesn't need to be said. Any venomous snake or spider can be life threatening.
That being said, I've lived in an area with all of the above for over 45 years. The spiders are probably the rarest for me to see(followed by crocs). In most cases (99%) the interactions are not dangerous to humans. Some are simply dumb luck (like you stepped on the snake or walked into the spiderweb). Most cases of gator attacks are people messing with them or bringing bait to them (dogs on or off leash). I saw a 6 ft gator Saturday morning at the golf course, it was 30 ft from me laying on land. I hit the ball and kept going.
The snakes are around, I've seen rattlesnakes/coral snakes (black nose = trouble vs king snake) and a few cottonmouths (they are fat headed snakes when you see them!). Again leave them alone and you have a fine day.
I'd fear lightning more than the above..........I don't have much control over lightning!
Spiders prey on insects. I read somewhere that if not for spiders, insects would flood the world. We have to thank spiders for keeping the insect population in check. Creepy-crawly spiders (along with centipedes, praying mantises, mice, birds etc.) just wander around the lawn eating whatever insects they encounter. Spider webs catch mosquitoes and flies.
Now let's talk about alligators and crocodiles. They are both members of the order Crocodilia, and are much older than homo sapiens. Alligators go back about 37 million years; crocodiles are about 94 million years old.
During the dinosaur era (up until a mass extinction event 66 million years ago), crocs were huge, 20-30 feet in length, fearsome predators living around the water's edge. You would not want to meet up with one of them.
Going back 133 million years, we have found a relative of crocodiles, the Sarcosuchus, that was quite huge, estimated 30 feet (10 meters) and 2-3 tons.
For some reason, modern crocs and gators have shrunk in size, but still can grow quite large. The biggest gators in Florida were 13 to 15 feet, weighing 800-900 pounds. In the Philippines, they have found a 20-foot crocodile.
Why did they become smaller? My guess is that as mammals took over on land and grew into huge herds, smaller and more nimble predators evolved who could move faster to grab the quick, wary four-legged mammals.
Should alligators continue to exist? There are millions of them in Florida, Louisiana, & parts of southern Georgia. They occupy a niche. Without them, smaller mammals, fish, & lizards would multiply. Why would we get rid of them? They make great handbags, and deep fried alligator is a thing.
I would selectively eliminate invasive species from non-native habitats. We can start with pythons in Florida, rats and cats on most islands, Emerald Ash Borer in North American, and so on.
Why are they even still around? What is their purpose?
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