Mr. and Mrs. Tick - a photo on Flickriver

Mr. and Mrs. Tick

I should explain what this is... It is a big female tick, bloated on the blood of a black dog, and a smaller male tick, climbing on for a little intimacy. Those are little red wriggly legs, poking out of the female's fat sack of a body...

I had actually just pulled the fat tick from the black dog's back. You have to unscrew ticks in a clockwise direction because they embed their heads inside the skin, so if you just pull them straight out then the head can break off and remain inside, causing an infection.

I put the tick down on the concrete and then noticed the smaller one, hanging on to its beloved. Strange, huh?

-- I'd originally thought this was a mother and child rather than a mating couple. See Richard Culleton's comment below. --

Is this perhaps the most disgusting portrait subject that I've ever photographed? At least, thinking about the animal's lifestyle just gives me the squirms. But I don't want it to disgust me...

What blows my mind is to contemplate that this creature is the very same Universal Consciousness that is within me, you and everything else in this infinitely rich universe...
Am I able to love and respect it as an expression of Supreme Consciousness?
Am I able to respect the role that this creature plays in the rich drama of this world?

How about you?

Auroville, south India
Journey to the East set

Some rights reserved

Taken in: India / Tamil Nadu / Viluppuram (show map)

Taken on: April 1, 2006

Tags:

auroville

tamil nadu

tick

parasite

insect

macro

bloodsucker

bug

bloated

disgusting « less

Sets appears in: • Ch9: Auroville Dreams • Journey to the East

Groups appears in: • FlickrCentral • India more » • Macro • India Images • The Living World • Macro Madness • Bugs • INSECTS • Weird But Wonderful • One a Day • Jumper • Natural Macros • bugs and spiders • Anything fantastic - 1 pic / day • Animal Pictures • Insects & Spiders • Your Best Insect Macro • The Animals Went in Two by Two • Macro Critters • *SOMETHING DIFFERENT* • Insect Macro Photography • metaphysics • Insect Photography • Parasites • Arachnids • Ticks « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ5, f/4.0, 1/80 sec, 8.4mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ5
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	8.4mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows
Show full info

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