Tit Saves Moose from Parasites in Forests Near St. Petersburg
On February 2, biologist Pavel Glazkov published unique footage in the Telegram channel «To Every Creature a Pair» taken in the Vsevolozhsky district of the Leningrad region. It shows a tit pecking parasitic insects—louse flies, also known as deer keds—from the fur of moose.
These parasites, which cause inconvenience to mushroom pickers, pose a serious threat to moose. More than a thousand keds can live on one animal. The biologist explained the difficulty for the moose itself to fight them: «The moose is unable to get rid of these annoying guests because the fly has a flat, smooth body, and its legs are armed with tenacious claws.»
Pavel Glazkov notes that tits have become real saviors for the forest giants. «So it turns out that tits are real saviors—sanitarians—for these forest giants. For the tit, the moose»s fur is a whole restaurant, and the bird for it is a reliever from torment,« he said.
Louse flies find partners in the thick fur, live and reproduce, feeding on the host«s blood. The consequences of their activity are:
- severe itching,
- significant blood loss,
- risk of death for young and weakened animals.
People can also suffer from the bites of these insects.
