An organism that lives on the outside of another animal's body and feeds on it, like a flea or tick.
From Greek 'ekto-' (outside) + 'parasite' (from 'para-' beside + 'sitos' bread/food). The term clarifies parasites that don't burrow inside, unlike endoparasites.
Mosquitoes, head lice, and lamprey fish are all ectoparasites, and they've been parasitizing animals for millions of years—some humans scratch head lice bites in the exact same way our ancestors did 10,000 years ago!
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