“Mighty Mites” Renate Michelle Padgett Essay Sample

National Geographic Magazine Biology 112

Mites are extremely tiny animals that live in the hair follicle of your head. During the day time, they feed inside the hair follicles and during night, crawl out and mate right on your face. Mites reproduce by laying eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the baby mites go through a cycle of molting to become adults. The life cycle of a mite is only few weeks. They lack anus and eventually die and decompose of stuffed feces. While we humans tend to ignore small things, evolution gives maximum advantages in designing smaller creatures. Rarely heard mites, like the aquatic mites thrive in millions on water surfaces. Mites can also be detected in drinking water. Evolution has bestowed mites with features which help survive and thrive in the most unimaginable and fascinating niches. Mites can be seen every where: in the dust, in the soil, in forest canopies, tree branches, in food, in museum collections, in trachea of bee, in the shaft of feathers, anuses of turtles, stink gland of bugs, digestion system of sea urchin, penises of vampire bats, lungs of the snakes, fat of pigeons, nostril of humming birds, eye balls of fruit bats: you name it and the mites are there. It will not be an exaggeration, if you say “mighty mites rule the world”. Their contribution to nature is even more breathtaking, they affect soil fertility, health of plants and animals, are vectors for parasites and also add flavor to certain food. Their reproduction activities are variegated. Mites can clone themselves; and can also mate with their sisters and mothers. As they make their way out of the birth canal, they kill their mother. A lot about mites is still not understood. There is a lot of scope for specialization and new discoveries in this area. Considering the diversity and specialization in mites, one should not be surprised to discovery a new species, among roomful of people.