Tick

Scientific Name: Ixodida (order)

Order & Family: Order Ixodida, Families Ixodidae (hard ticks) or Argasidae (soft ticks)

Size: 1 to 5 mm (unfed), though they can expand significantly after a blood meal

Tick

Natural Habitat

Wooded areas, tall grass, leaf litter, and shrubs, often hitchhiking on host animals into residential areas

Diet & Feeding

Obligate hematophages; they feed exclusively on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians

Behavior Patterns

They exhibit 'questing' behavior by climbing to the tips of vegetation and waiting for a host to brush by. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Risks & Benefits

Major public health risk as vectors for diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Anaplasmosis; they provide little ecosystem benefit but serve as a food source for some birds and reptiles

Identified on: 5/16/2026