They do say the female of the species is more dangerous than the male and when it comes to the longhorn tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) this is nothing more than cold hard truth. One female longhorn tick can lay up to 2,000 eggs in few weeks – and hatch them without any male assistance whatsoever! This is thanks to a process called parthenogenesis and has seen the parasitic arachnid gain a foothold in the Pacific islands, New Zealand, Australia and now the US. Talk about small and mighty…

More information:

arstechnica.com/savage-tick-clone-armies-are-sucking-cows-to-death