Brown dog ticks, like the American dog tick, also have 6 legs as larvae and 8 as adults. They are anywhere from 1/8” to 1/2” long and are oval-shaped and flat. What Do Brown Dog Ticks Look Like: As told by their name, brown dog ticks are typically brown in color, but can become a gray and blue color when engorged. It is not common, but brown dog ticks will bite humans in the absence of a canine host. General Info: Similar to the American dog tick, the brown dog tick is named for its preferred host. Symptoms include an ulcer at the bite site, fever, chills and tender lymph nodes. These ticks are also known vectors of tularemia, a disease transmitted from rabbits, mice, squirrels and other small animals. Symptoms include high fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, and sometimes a rash spread across the extremities 2-4 days after the fever begins. Threats: American dog ticks are carriers of the bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a serious tick-borne illness with a mortality rate of over 20 percent if not treated early. American dog ticks are extremely resilient and are able to survive for 2-3 years without feeding. When these ticks latch on to dogs, they are brought into the home and can potentially be transferred to humans. Habits: American dog ticks prefer grassy areas with low vegetation where larger animals commonly pass by and thrive in areas that are also accessible to humans. They range anywhere from 5 mm to 15 mm in size depending on whether or not they are engorged. Similar to the blacklegged tick, these ticks have 6 legs as larvae but have 8 legs when they are adults. What Do American Dog Ticks Look Like: American dog ticks are flat and oval in shape, and usually brown with whitish-gray markings. American dog ticks are known vectors of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and exposure to these ticks is most common during spring and early summer. These ticks are only found throughout North America and are a member of the hard tick family. General Info: The American Dog Tick is named after its host of choice – the dog. These ticks will typically crawl for up to 4 hours before they attach and have to then be attached for 6-8 hours before disease transmission occurs, so early detection and tick removal is key. Blacklegged ticks’ favorite feeding area on humans is at the back of the neck, making detection difficult if you have long hair. If untreated, Lyme disease can affect the joints, heart and nervous system. Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, fatigue and a bull’s eye-shaped skin rash around the bite sight. Threats: Blacklegged ticks are vectors of anaplasmosis, Lyme disease and human babesiosis. These ticks prefer the nesting areas of the white-footed mouse because they are often in well-sheltered places such as underground, in tree stumps, old bird nests and woodpiles. They can also be found in the den or nests of common hosts, such as skunks, raccoons, opossums, and rodents. Habits: Blacklegged ticks normally hide in grass and shrubs and wait for a passing host to latch on to. They have 8 legs, categorizing them as arachnids, and are 1/8” long on average. What D o Blacklegged (Deer) Ticks Look Like: Blacklegged ticks are a flat, broad oval shape and are typically orange-brown in color with darker legs. Found throughout the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southeastern and northcentral United States, blacklegged ticks are known vectors of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, human babesiosis, Powassan encephalitis, and more. General Info: The blacklegged (deer) tick is named for its notorious dark legs and is sometimes referred to as a deer tick because it prefers to host on the white-tailed deer. Here is everything you need to know about what different kinds of ticks look like, how to prevent tick bites and the dangers associated with these potentially dangerous pests. When the weather gets warmer, humans and their pets are not the only ones eager to get outside after a long winter – ticks are out in full force and can pose a significant health risk to humans and pets alike, spreading diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. What Does a Tick Look Like: Tick Species and the Threats they Pose A Guide to Identifying and Preventing Various Tick Species
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