What is Parasitism?

Parasitism is when one living thing lives off another to survive, without helping it at all.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite teddy bear in the park. Suddenly, a little bug lands on your bear and starts eating its fur, without asking permission. That’s like parasitism! The bug gets food from your bear, but your bear doesn’t get anything back, it might even feel uncomfortable or itchy.

• The parasite is the one who lives off another. It eats or uses the other living thing to stay alive.
• The host is the one being used. They’re often unaware of the help (or the trouble) they're giving.

Think about a person who gets ticks after playing in the woods. The ticks are like little bugs that attach themselves to your skin and drink your blood. You might not even notice them at first, but you sure do when they start itching!

Parasitism is everywhere: some fish have parasites inside them, some birds carry worms on their feathers, and sometimes people get lice from sharing hats or combs.

So remember, parasitism is like that sneaky bug on your teddy bear, it takes without giving back!