American Dog Tick
Dermacentor variabilis
Arachnida
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- 2-3 years
- Size
- Small
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate grassland
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Walking
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Armor
- Status
- Common
About
American Dog Ticks are one of the most common ticks found in the United States. They are a type of hard tick that feeds on the blood of humans and other mammals. If you're bitten by an American Dog Tick, it may take several days for you to experience symptoms.
Life cycle
- 1.egg sacA silk-wrapped egg sac shelters a clutch of eggs until the young are ready to emerge.
- 2.juvenileA spiderling emerges from the egg sac already in miniature adult form and starts catching prey almost immediately.
- 3.subadultA near-adult arachnid molts through several instars, growing larger and developing mature markings.
- 4.adultFully grown after its final molt.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Ixodida
- Family
- Ixodidae
- Genus
- Dermacentor
- Species
- Dermacentor variabilis