Jurassic tick gorged on dinosaur blood

DINOSAURS were plagued by bloodsucking parasites, a fossil preserved in amber has revealed.

The 100-million-year old-tick was found to be bloated to eight times its normal size, giving a tantalising insight into the prehistoric diet of one of the modern’s world’s most prevalent pests.

And its home was a dinosaur’s feather, with archeologists increasingly believing that far from being scaly like lizards, dinosaurs were more like fluffy birds. The idea that dinosaur DNA might be preserved in insects trapped in amber – and then cloned – inspired Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

But while experts say no DNA was intact in the tick, it shows how the bloodsucking creatures have had a long history. While this type of parasite is extinct, it shows ticks have managed to evolve since the mass extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago and thrive. The newly discovered tick dates from the Cretaceous period of 145 to 66 million years ago. However it is has not been possible to work out which type of dinosaur the creature gorged on.

lead author dr Enrique Peñalver from the Spanish Geological Survey in Madrid said: ‘Ticks are infamous blood-sucking, parasitic organisms, having a tremendous impact on the health of humans, livestock, pets, and even wildlife, but until now clear evidence of their role in deep time has been lacking.’