What posture do wood ticks adopt while waiting for a host on vegetation?
Answer
Extending their front legs
Ticks, including the wood tick, engage in a behavior known as 'questing' when waiting for a potential host to pass by. This posture is characterized by the tick perching itself on a suitable piece of vegetation, such as a blade of grass or a low shrub branch, and actively extending its front legs outwards. This extension allows the tick the best chance to attach itself onto any mammal, including humans, that brushes past the vegetation, initiating the feeding process.
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