American Dog Tick

Grassy areas, wooded paths, and zones with low vegetation where hosts are likely to pass.

Hematophagous; feeds on the blood of mammals, including dogs and humans.

Uses a behavior called questing where it climbs to the tips of vegetation and waits for a host to brush by. It has a three-host life cycle involving larval, nymphal, and adult stages.

Known vector for Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Tularemia. It can also cause tick paralysis in hosts. There are no known benefits to humans or the ecosystem.