Responsible for the generation of many
sayings and expressions: such as “nitty-gritty,” “nitwit,” “nit-picking,” and “lousy,” lice have probably been known to man for a very long time. Tiny—about
2 to 4 millimeters in length—and virtually weightless (unless their bellies are filled with the viscous crimson fluid that is runs in human veins), lice have a miniscule existence.
But the dictum that big things come in small packages rings true here.
Lice might be small, but they cause some HUGE problems. And they’ve seen some HUGE companions for the time that they’ve roamed this earth.
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, lice shared this planet with some huge—and as of now, extinct—comrades. And this blog is all about them.
Here Comes the Kicker: Dinosaurs Had Lice!
Yes,
lice did exist in the Jurassic era.
Poor Purple Barney, he must have infected all the kids with him. The first question that most people are likely to ask when surprised with the shocking fact that dinosaurs had lice is probably this: “But dinosaurs were reptiles! They had no hair! And if they had no hair, how did they have lice?”
The thing is that lice do not need hair for feeding or for survival. Hair serves as a hiding place for them, in the dense thicket of which they can live in perfect concealment and carry out their bloody business. Think of snakes that prefer living in long grass: you’ll never see one in an open space (unless the open space is a desert and there are no trees or grass around).
So yes, while dinosaurs had no hair, lice did not leave their bodies bare. And if you’re wondering how lice could’ve lived on scales…
Hairless, But Not Featherless
There might not have been dinosaurs with hair, but there were definitely dinosaurs with feathers. Archaeopteryx is the world’s best-known feathered dino, and scholars have found evidence of lice infestation in fossils of its hair.
Additionally, evidence of parasites similar to lice has been found preserved in the fossils of fur found in the earliest mammals. Researchers believe that lice began the journey of their existence on the Jurassic backs of dinosaurs and early mammals, and then carried on to further descendants.
Scientists know for a fact that lice were around
more than 100 million years ago, and they have concluded that these parasites definitely lived on something. These deductions are made based on the studies of fossils and molecular analyses of lice both living and those found preserved in fossils.
One such study actually succeeded in recovering
five nits from 4000 years ago! Scientists believe that
lice began infesting and living on humans around the time that our ancestors began wearing clothes for a change. Well then, we guess some pain must come mingled with the pleasure of civilization, and for us in came in the form of lice that exploit our knack for covering up.
What to Do When the Descendants of These Jurassic Jeepers Bug You
We have established—actually, we haven’t the scientists and researchers studying fossils have—that lice have been around for a very long time: longer than 150 million years ago. They lived with dinosaurs and woolly mammoths and drank their blood—and have now downgraded to drinking human blood. They’ve been around so long they’re probably not going anywhere, but can you?
In order to get rid of lice, you can either move to a habitable planet where lice have never set foot, or try the easier route: take help from a professional
lice removal salon Kendall and the services they offer!
We highly recommend the latter option by vesture of its effectiveness and credibility, so don’t forget to book an appointment with us today by dialing 800-403-5423
