Would you expect an ectoparasite, such as a bird louse, that lives its entire life on the body of a homeothermic host, to have a broad thermal tolerance? How about mite that lives on the bodies of rattlesnakes?

Question

Would you expect an ectoparasite, such as a  bird louse, that lives its entire life on the body of a homeothermic host, to have a broad thermal tolerance?  How about mite that lives on the bodies of rattlesnakes?

Steve · Answer

Damn nature! You scary!

Steve · Answer

But I got the same problem. I just came across this on Molumby's Problem set and it got me thinking. So the bird louse I first thought would not have a broad temperature tolerance since it's living on the host, but then again, the homeothermic host would be able to withstand a wide variety of temperatures since it stays warm using metabolism. So, I am now going to put that the bird louse CAN withstand a broad thermal tolerance, while the rattlesnakes parasite can't.