Tick

Tall grass, brush, and wooded areas where they wait for hosts; they are also found on the skin of mammals and birds.

Hematophagous (blood-feeders); they require blood meals from vertebrate hosts to progress through life stages and lay eggs.

They exhibit 'questing' behavior, where they cling to vegetation and reach out with their legs to grab onto passing hosts. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Significant health risk as vectors for numerous diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Ehrlichiosis; they provide no primary benefit to humans but serve as food for some animals like opossums and guinea fowl.