Tick

Wooded areas, brush, tall grass, and leaf litter; often found on animal hosts or in domestic environments where pets are present.

Hematophagous; they feed exclusively on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles, and sometimes amphibians.

Ticks use a behavior called 'questing' where they hold onto leaves or grass with their back legs and reach out with their front legs to latch onto a passing host. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Significant health risks to humans and animals as vectors for diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Babesiosis. They provide no known direct benefits to humans, though they are a food source for some wildlife like opossums and certain birds.