Tick
Scientific Name: Ixodida (Order)
Order & Family: Order Ixodida, Family Ixodidae (Hard Ticks) or Argasidae (Soft Ticks)
Size: 1mm to 5mm (unfed), can grow significantly larger (up to 15mm or more) when engorged with blood.
Natural Habitat
Wooded areas, tall grasses, shrubs, and leaf litter where they wait for potential hosts.
Diet & Feeding
Hematophagous (blood-feeding); they consume blood from mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles/amphibians.
Behavior Patterns
They exhibit 'questing' behavior, where they climb to the tips of vegetation and extend their legs to latch onto passing hosts. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.
Risks & Benefits
Significant health risks as vectors for diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Anaplasmosis. They offer little direct benefit to humans but serve as a food source for some birds and reptiles in the ecosystem.
Identified on: 4/9/2026