Which statement about ticks is false?

• A. Ixodidae are hard ticks and medically important
• B. Argasidae are soft ticks and some transmit disease
• C. All ticks are easy to see with the naked eye
• D. Ticks can cause paralysis

Answer: (C)

Understanding tick diversity helps explain why some statements about them are true while one is not. Ticks come in two main families: hard ticks (Ixodidae) and soft ticks (Argasidae). Hard ticks have a hard shield and are commonly implicated in disease transmission because they feed for longer periods, increasing the chance of pathogen transfer. Soft ticks lack that shield and tend to feed quickly, but some species can still transmit diseases. The idea that all ticks are easy to see with the naked eye isn’t accurate because immature stages are very small—larvae and nymphs can be only about 0.5–2 mm in size. These tiny ticks can hide in hair, between toes, or in clothing seams, making detection difficult. Ticks can cause paralysis in some cases due to neurotoxic components in their saliva, and symptoms often improve after the tick is removed.