What is a tick?
Ticks fall into the same class as spiders and scorpions, because they are all arachnids.
Ticks live in wooded areas, brushy fields, and around your home.
Ticks survive by eating blood from their hosts.
Ticks can pass infections from one host to the next, including humans.
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (jointed legs and exoskeleton)
Class: Arachnida (relatives are spiders)
Subclass: Acari
Family: Nutalliellidae (Only 1 Species)
Argasidae (Soft Ticks)
Ixodidae (Hard Ticks)
Family Nutalliellidae:
Family Argasidae:
Family Ixodidae:
Ticks live in wooded areas, brushy fields, and around your home.
Ticks survive by eating blood from their hosts.
Ticks can pass infections from one host to the next, including humans.
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (jointed legs and exoskeleton)
Class: Arachnida (relatives are spiders)
Subclass: Acari
Family: Nutalliellidae (Only 1 Species)
Argasidae (Soft Ticks)
Ixodidae (Hard Ticks)
Family Nutalliellidae:
- Has only 1 species of ticks
- Found only in South Africa
Family Argasidae:
- Family of soft ticks
- Human parasitism & transmission of disease is rare in this family
Family Ixodidae:
- Family of hard ticks
- Common in most of the world
What is the Difference Between a Hard Tick and a Soft Tick?
There are two types of tick, hard and soft. The hard ticks have an exposed head and mouth (capitulum), and a shield (scutum) that covers most of their upper body. Whereas a soft tick is sac-like with no hard shield. Rather, they have a leathery exoskeleton for protection.
There are a variety of species of ticks. Hard tick species include: the Brown Dog Tick, American Dog Tick, Lonestar Tick, and the Deer Tick. Soft tick species include the common fowl tick and the relapsing fever tick. But since hard ticks are more commonly found throughout the United States, we will be focusing on them, specifically those found in the Virginia area.
There are two main differences between a soft tick and a hard tick. First off, a soft ticks bite is usually brief, lasting generally for a half hour. Secondly, soft ticks do not search for prey in tall grass or brush. Instead, they usually live within rodent burrows, feeding as needed on the rodent as it sleeps.
For a pdf version of their differences click here.
There are two types of tick, hard and soft. The hard ticks have an exposed head and mouth (capitulum), and a shield (scutum) that covers most of their upper body. Whereas a soft tick is sac-like with no hard shield. Rather, they have a leathery exoskeleton for protection.
There are a variety of species of ticks. Hard tick species include: the Brown Dog Tick, American Dog Tick, Lonestar Tick, and the Deer Tick. Soft tick species include the common fowl tick and the relapsing fever tick. But since hard ticks are more commonly found throughout the United States, we will be focusing on them, specifically those found in the Virginia area.
There are two main differences between a soft tick and a hard tick. First off, a soft ticks bite is usually brief, lasting generally for a half hour. Secondly, soft ticks do not search for prey in tall grass or brush. Instead, they usually live within rodent burrows, feeding as needed on the rodent as it sleeps.
For a pdf version of their differences click here.
Anatomy of a Hard Tick
They are composed of mouth-parts called the capitulum. The capitulum has two major parts to it: the hypostome and the palps. The hypostome is used by the tick to stick into the host's body, which is why their heads are hard to remove. The palps are used to help a tick sense its surroundings.
To learn more about tick anatomy click here to play a tick anatomy game (provided by the University of Rhode Island).
They are composed of mouth-parts called the capitulum. The capitulum has two major parts to it: the hypostome and the palps. The hypostome is used by the tick to stick into the host's body, which is why their heads are hard to remove. The palps are used to help a tick sense its surroundings.
To learn more about tick anatomy click here to play a tick anatomy game (provided by the University of Rhode Island).
Provided by Rural Family Medicine
Learn about the different types of ticks and how to identify them by clicking here.
Life Cycle of a Tick
There are four stages in a ticks life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.
There are four stages in a ticks life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.
- After hatching from egg, tick must drink blood at every stage in order to survive
- First host is usually a small mammal or lizard
- After feeding, the larva drops to the ground to digest its food and begin to grow
- After one to three weeks, the larva molts and becomes a nymph
- It has to find another meal, usually from another small host in order to molt again.
- Again after it finishes its feeding it drops to the ground and develops some more.
- An adult tick has one job -- to reproduce.
- In hard ticks, the female attaches to the host and feeds, often for more than 24 hours, before mating. The male tick feeds too, before mating. Often, the male dies after mating, and the female dies after lying anywhere from between 2,000 to 18,000 eggs.
- Soft ticks are an exception. Many of them feed multiple times and lay eggs several times too. This is the reason soft ticks don’t consume as much blood in one sitting or swell to the extent hard ticks do.
- After hatching from egg, tick must drink blood at every stage in order to survive
Provided by the CDC