Predatory Species occupy a broad spectrum, becoming a factor in Nature's functions.

These groups include - Canine, Arachnid, Reptiles, and quite a few others.

Most people disregard the threats they present to Mankind, often = simply because they do not appear to be immediately life threatening. Very often this is/or becomes hubris. The vast majority of City Dwellers posses very little/if any actual knowledge of the mechanisms ,involved in these encounters. At least that is one perspective. Another being, that many are often afraid of solitude and/or darkness, and unaware that this is a contributing factor.

As time goes by, we will examine many interesting/and very useful facts and scenarios. For now, I am sharing a little folk knowledge, about the arachnid family. You may immediately picture a poison spider.And some of them can prove to be quite deadly to Man. With that being said, they do not feed upon humans. 

The arachnid we are talking about now, is the tick. I am mostly familiar about the ticks that range about North America. Many of you will have heard about the Deer Tick. There are many other types of ticks as well, and we will be looking at them all grouped together. They will aggressively feed on any warm blooded creature, when possible. I am not aware of any exceptions. They will even feed upon skunks and civet cats, as i witnessed when trapping, as a youngster. Humans, and many of their domesticated animals, are certainly no exception. 

Their feeding frenzies can be very powerful and damaging. Dogs can even suffer from Tick Paralysis. They inject their own special kind of poison, in their bites, which can be combined with the transfer of certain parasites( along with harmful bacteria, viruses, and various agents ). On another level, they often share s symbiotic relationship with flea infestations. During the hot and humid weather, of Spring, this can quickly become a battle for life and death( imminent for Cats, Dogs, and others ). To be successful, and win this battle, it most likely requires a sophisticated combination of weapons. Purely using commercial insecticides, can often lead to equally harmful results.

Now - Myth and/or Fact? There are old wives tales which say that you can't kill ticks - they come back to life! 

The reality is a little of both. Ticks can be extremely difficult to kill, that is true. I have observed them recover from extreme situations, where they surely appeared dead. I experienced such a scenario again today, which inspired this little post. I recently dossed my dogs with some Ivermectin, which is among my arsenal. It usually proves fatal to most of the fleas and tics, that are feeding on the dogs. I have often observed a few remaining days later, but when you pull them off, they are hard, brittle, and dead. As soon as the medication wears off, small ticks will begin  feeding upon the animal again, often inside the ears, which lead to today's situation.

One of my dogs had a patch of small ticks, which had congregated inside his tender ears. I crushed the wad of juvenile ticks, which presented a mushy mass of blood and other juices. All of the successfully bursted were in fact dead. There was a remaining tick, that appeared crushed flat, disfigured, and certainly dead. I already knew better, from past experiences. After just a short wait, the little tick somewhat recovered to it's normal appearance, and began to move it's legs. At that point, i actually used my thumbnail, and applied the necessary pressure to cut in half, against a hard surface. Maybe more pressure than you might think. 

The long and short - Ticks do not rise from the dead, but can be very resilient in resisting deadly attacks.
An environmentally safe tool, to control Tick and  Flea infestations, is the husbandry of Chickens. They will be enthusiastic in their efforts feed upon many insects. They will certainly clean the ticks, from the dogs' ears, if they and the dogs are in a good relationship.
Another great tool can be controlled burns. They are powerful  forces, which can devastating killers for both adult Ticks - and their juveniles.

Other Predators include the Great Cats, Wolves, Bears, Coyote, and more than you might think. Maybe I can share some perspectives you find interesting, in future posts.

Thank for Your Time, Attention, and Interest!

Anthony