3 ms·

Yup, ticks do kill deer and moose. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/ticks-can-take-down-800-pound-moose/583189/ https://www.theatlantic.com/

• mulmen 6y ago
  But do they change the deer's behavior in beneficial ways like wolves?
  • eru 6y ago
    Beneficial to whom? The deer certainly likes neither the wolf nor the tick. And whether humans like wolves depends on whether eg we'd want to hunt deer for food.
    • mulmen 6y ago
      When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone they changed the behavior of deer in a way that went as far as reducing erosion and redirecting rivers. Sure, ticks may kill deer and I guess you can call that a predator but not in the same way as a wolf. Ecosystems are incredibly fragile. The consequences of replacing one species with another are completely unpredictable.
      • eru 6y ago
        Yes, agreed. They have different effects, things are complicated and hard to predict. And even hard to analyze after they happened. I am saying that the changes in Yellowstone are pleasing to humans eg because we value diversity, but it's hard (or impossible) to make an absolute judgement call.