"Dangerous little monsters - under the microscope"
What size do they have ?
Mites are the most diverse and abundant of all arachnids, but because of their small size of usually less than a millimeter in length we rarely see them. The ticks are an exception, in that they are usually big enough to see, especially when they are filled with blood. The black-legged tick, or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, is a relatively large member of the Acari, about 5 mm long. Red velvet mites are also among the giants of the Acari (to 10 mm), and can often be seen hunting on the ground or on tree trunks. Water mites are rarely more than a few millimeters long, but their bright colours and rapid movement often bring them to our attention. At the smaller end of the mite size range are species like the human follicle mite or the honeybee tracheal mite - small enough to raise a family within a human hair follicle or within a bee's respiratory tube, and too small (ca. 0.1 mm) to see without a microscope.
Idea of the ThinkQuest team no. 20510 - Copyright - Feedback - Direct e-mail - Guestbook