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Blacklegged Tick (Female) - Ixodes scapularis
Adult, female blacklegged (commonly called deer ticks) have black heads and dorsal shields, dark red abdomens, and 8 legs. Spotted in a swampy, mixed forest.
The lifecycle of blacklegged ticks generally lasts two years. During this time, they go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and eight-legged adult. They are three-host ticks, which means that they must have one bloodmeal during each life stage (larva, nymph, adult) in order to survive. In addition, blacklegged ticks are the main vector of Lyme disease in North America. They can also transmit other diseases such as Babesiosis, Powassan, and Anaplasmosis.
"Ixodes scapularis" is a hard-bodied tick of the eastern and northern Midwestern United States. It is a vector for several diseases of animals, including humans and is known as the deer tick owing to its habit of parasitizing the white-tailed deer. It is also known to parasitize mice, lizards, migratory birds, etc. especially while the tick is in the larva or nymph stage.
