State and federal officials are warning of a vicious species of tick that is rapidly invading the US. A full-scale invasion is taking place along the Eastern Seaboard of a tick from Eastern Asia. The species of tick is known to transmit a whole host of nasty diseases to humans including a deadly virus that kills up to a third of its victims. The Asian longhorned tick, also known as Haemaphysalis longicornis, has not been found to be carrying any diseases in the U.S. yet.
The Asian longhorned tick is a huge threat to livestock, pets, and wild animal populations since it is capable of attacking en masse. The invasive tick can drain young animals of blood so quickly that they die, a form of death called exsanguination. The secret to how the tick's populations explode lies in its ability to reproduce without mating.
