Tick

Tall grasses, wooded areas, leaf litter, and vegetation where they wait for hosts.

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

They exhibit a behavior called 'questing' where they hold onto leaves with back legs and stretch out front legs to grab onto passing hosts. They undergo four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Significant health risks; they are vectors for various diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Anaplasmosis. They offer little ecological benefit beyond being a food source for some birds and reptiles.