Parasites and Frogs

by
Linda Shear
KIE Developer

A PARASITE is an animal or plant that gets its food by living on or in another organism.

IMAGE FROM The Parasite Web Site

The tick in this picture is an example of a parasite. It lives on another animal (called the "host") and gets food from the animal's blood. Ticks often live on dogs. If you take your dog for a walk in the woods, check for ticks when you get home!

Some parasites live on plants instead of animals. For example, the fungus below is a parasite that grows on the trunk of a tree:

IMAGE FROM The Parasite Web Site

There is a particular kind of parasite called a TREMATODE that spends part of its life living in tadpoles. Some scientists think this parasite might explain the kinds of deformities found in Minnesota. In the next piece of evidence, you will learn more about how tadpoles with trematodes can grow into deformed frogs.