Common Name: Congregation Tick
Scientific Name: Deinocroton polar
Specimen Length: 8.9cm (19.4cm with tentacles, although can reach up to 3m)
Specimen Sex: Female
First Described: AD 3021
Description and Habitat: Originally thought to be from the S.E. Asian landmass formerly known as Myanmar, Deinocroton polar were in fact widely distributed across the very most northern parts of Eurasia throughout the Pleistocene epoch (the Ice Age, 2.5 million to 11,000 years ago), and only discovered after the Great Northern Ice Melts of the 21st century.
Land encased in permafrost - where the ground is frozen all year round - has for years thrown up startling scientific discoveries; when the ice melts, so too the land defrosts, allowing previously unknown species to emerge. Once a common parasite of the prehistoric giant, the Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), this ingenious insect used its cryogenic abilities to survive, a boon for modern-day scientists as it had not been previously described and initially was thought to be a new species. (A single badly damaged sample had, however, been previously discovered within the long thick hair of Woolly Rhinoceros remains found preserved in the permafrost region of the Vilyuy River in eastern Siberia in AD 1771, but simply recorded as “Unknown Insect Species” and forgotten about).
Once released from its cryptobiotic state, however, the Congregation Tick found a suitable new host in Mega Bò Ghàidhealach, descendants of Highland Cattle that long ago migrated north to Siberia and further into the Arctic Circle once the habitat became more hospitable. Constantly foraging for good grazing land, these enormous bovines tend to be mostly solitary, so populations of D. polar will usually only know one host their entire lifetime. Due to their small numbers, their long interconnected strands may have evolved to allow them to share nutrients within their entire community, an excellent example of obligate symbiosis as they contain microbes that provide essential amino acids, sugars and other chemicals allowing Deinocroton polar to utilize blood as their only food source. It was thought all tick species were unable to survive temperatures below -20 degrees celsius, and the current hypothesis is these microbes may have been beneficial in the cryogenic process as well, as trehalose (a special sugar that wraps around proteins and prevents the water inside the protective bubble from freezing) is also present. When Congregation Ticks feel a dry coolness coming on, they produce this sugar at a rate 20 times greater than normal. Whilst experiments show D. polar are able to survive as individuals on their own, they seem much more successful in a fully connected congregation. There is evidence that when together and in healthy condition, they vibrate to make a musical hum and it is in this state the most trehalose is produced. Research is ongoing as to how this exactly benefits their host, perhaps feeding back some nutrient or helping the host’s nervous system somehow, as herds of Mega Bò Ghàidhealach are more productive where Deinocroton polar are also present, however a full understanding of this mysterious partnership still illudes us.
Reproduction: Female Congregation Ticks are characterized by gonotrophic harmony though the number of eggs in each batch is always very low. After each complete blood feeding they lay 10 - 20 eggs which go through four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. After the eggs hatch, the ticks must have a blood meal at every stage to survive but usually only one or two reach adulthood. It is at the adult stage that they migrate to a less populated part of their host, then connect to the congregation, extending their tendrils and fusing into the network.
Lifespan: Two – four years. Upon death, the individual is absorbed back into the congregation.
