# Tick question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239 "2006-06-10T21:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/1 "2006-06-10T21:52:29Z")
I just crushed a flat tick (I was out cutting grass) and s/he was full of white goop. What was that? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/2 "2006-06-10T23:14:27Z")
It’s guts? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/3 "2006-06-10T23:42:16Z")
[QUOTE=racer72] It’s guts? [/QUOTE] I’ve dispatched many, many ticks and I’ve never seen white goop. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/4 "2006-06-10T23:45:09Z")
Eggs? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/5 "2006-06-11T00:24:40Z")
That’s not “white goop”, it’s a creamy filling of justice! SPOON! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/6 "2006-06-11T00:43:34Z")
Frikin’ gross is what that was. Blech. I’ve never seen a tick do that. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/7 "2006-06-11T02:18:35Z")
_creamy filling of justice_ Band Name! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/8 "2006-06-11T02:57:43Z")
Picture? \*loves being the person who thinks to ask… ☹ \* ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/9 "2006-06-11T12:58:58Z")
Eggs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/10 "2006-06-11T13:08:42Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Picture? [/QUOTE] Alas, I didn’t have a camera with me while cutting grass. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/11 "2006-06-11T13:53:09Z")
Perhaps it wasn’t feeling well, and you disturbed it’s vomit reflex. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-question/360239/12 "2006-06-11T16:57:01Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Eggs? [/QUOTE] Probably not, as they need a blood meal to produce their eggs, and if this one was flat it hadn’t had a chance to feed. It was probably either hemolymph, some kind of innards (possibly fat deposits), or just possibly ova that had not developed much yet. At least in my experience, a tick’s hemolymph (the arthopod equivalent of blood) is fairly clear, but I suppose in some circumstances or in certain species it could be whitish. The hemolymph does not circulate via blood vessels, but instead fills most of the arthopod’s body cavity.