Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is an obligate ectoparasite of humans. [1] Head lice are wingless insects that spend their entire lives on the human scalp and feed exclusively on human blood. [1] Humans are the only known hosts of this specific parasite, while chimpanzees and bonobos host a closely related species, Pediculus schaeffi.
Lice infestation in general is known as pediculosis, and occurs in many mammalian and bird species. [55] Lice infesting other host species are not the same organism as that which causes head lice infestations in humans, nor do the three louse species which infest humans infest any other host species. [citation needed]
Human head and body lice occupy distinct ecological zones: head lice live and feed on the scalp, while body lice live on clothing and feed on the body. Because body lice require clothing to survive, the divergence of head and body lice from their common ancestor provides an estimate of the date of introduction of clothing in human evolutionary ...
Head lice have been constant, if unwanted, human companions. The parasites are rich sources of genetic information illuminating big questions in the human story.
Researchers aren’t exactly too sure where lice first originated, just that they have been resilient enough to survive millions of years, feasting on human blood. ... (The oldest evidence is a ...
Head lice feed on blood several times each day and tend to reside close to your scalp, which explains the itchiness and why it’s sometimes so difficult to tell that you have head lice. Unlike ...
The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is the species best adapted to human environments [58] but is also known from birds, Chiroptera, Gallus (chickens and relatives), Myotis myotis, and sheep (Ovis aries). [59] [58] It is found in temperate climates throughout the world.
When your child is the temporary home for these blood-sucking freeloaders, the social issue can sometimes be more overwhelming than the physical issue.