---
title: "What the sources say about the Deer Tick | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "61 claims from the Deer Tick profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/deer-tick-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/deer-tick/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Deer Tick (*Ixodes scapularis*)

> 61 claims from the Deer Tick profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Deer Tick](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/deer-tick/)

## Ixodes scapularis (black legged tick). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ixodes_scapularis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Waits on a plant for a passing host to brush by, then feeds for days. | waiting on vegetation or the ground until its host brushes against the ticks position, generally catching its legs, allowing it to grasp on and continue its feeding |
| Waits on a plant for a passing host to brush by, then feeds for days. | In each of the life cycle states, Ixodes scapularis feeds only once, for 3-5 days. |
| eastern North America | The geographic range of Ixodes scapularis, the deer tick or blacklegged tick, consists of North America as a whole |
| Blood: mice and other small mammals when young, deer for adult females | Larval ticks of the Ixodes scapularis feed once on the blood of white-footed mice, or other small mammals. |
| deer for adult females | female adult ticks feed on the blood of larger mammals, such as deer |
| Ambushes a passing host, then feeds for days while its new, flexible outer shell helps it swell | This "ambushing" is done by waiting on vegetation or the ground until its host brushes against the ticks position |
| Not Evaluated | IUCN Red List Not Evaluated (note: stats.conservationStatus. The prefetch found no Red List assessment for Ixodes scapularis (GBIF has no category, no Crossref assessment DOI), so no IUCN reference is cited; ADW's page states Not Evaluated.) |
| is an arachnid | Class Arachnida |
| Adults and nymphs (the stage between larva and adult) both have eight legs. | Both sexes have eight legs that are black. |
| Adults and nymphs (the stage between larva and adult) both have eight legs. | Like the adult, the nymph has four pairs of dark legs |
| An adult is about 3 mm long | Ixodes scapularis is approximately 3 mm in length. |
| a nymph is 1 to 2 mm | is smaller, measuring at about 1-2 mm in length |
| It waits on vegetation or on the ground until a host brushes past, generally catching it by the legs. | waiting on vegetation or the ground until its host brushes against the ticks position, generally catching its legs, allowing it to grasp on |
| This is a three-host tick: larva, nymph and adult each need a blood meal from a host. | Ixodes scapularis is a three-host tick, meaning that each stage of development reattaches to a host. |
| Larvae feed mostly on white-footed mice. | feed on a wide variety of mammals and birds, but primarily on white-footed mice |
| Adult females feed on a white-tailed deer for five to seven days. Males rarely feed at all. | Adult female ticks feed upon their definitive host, the white-tailed deer, for five to seven days while the male tick rarely feeds at all. |
| Animal Diversity Web puts its lifespan in the wild at about two years. | Ixodes scapularis lives approximately two years in the wild. |
| Males die after mating, and females die after laying their eggs, typically on the forest floor. | The male Ixodes scapularis dies after it has completed mating with one or more females, and the female dies after laying eggs. |
| laying their eggs, typically on the forest floor | engorged adult females typically lay eggs on the forest floor |
| Mate-finding is largely run by pheromones, chemical signals that draw ticks together. | Mate-finding and courtship behavior in Ixodes scapularis is largely regulated by pheromones, chemicals produced by one organism that attract other organisms. |
| from the eastern United States west towards Texas and north into Minnesota and southeastern Canada | This includes the eastern coast of the United States, westward towards Texas, and northward into Minnesota. These ticks are also found in southeastern Canada |
| it carries Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease | I. scapularis is also a vector of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi |
| No. Animal Diversity Web files it in the class Arachnida | Class Arachnida |
| Adults measure roughly 3 mm. | Ixodes scapularis is approximately 3 mm in length. |
| Roughly two years in the wild, according to Animal Diversity Web. | Ixodes scapularis lives approximately two years in the wild. |
| Males rarely feed at all. | the male tick rarely feeds at all |
| Larvae and nymphs feed on white-footed mice and other small mammals, and adult females feed on larger mammals such as deer. | nymphal ticks continue to feed on the blood of white-footed mice and other small mammals |
| Nymphs, the stage before adulthood, are smaller at around 1 to 2 mm | is smaller, measuring at about 1-2 mm in length |
| Three hosts, three meals | Ixodes scapularis is a three-host tick, meaning that each stage of development reattaches to a host. |
| Two years, then breed and die | Ixodes scapularis lives approximately two years in the wild. |
| Larvae and nymphs then drop to the ground to molt | engorged larvae leave their first host and drop to the ground |
| Larvae and nymphs then drop to the ground to molt | engorged nymphs detach and drop to the forest floor where they molt into an adult |
| It does not chase anything. | To find hosts Ixodes scapularis uses an "ambushing" approach. |
| both the adult and the nymph walk on four pairs of legs | Like the adult, the nymph has four pairs of dark legs |
| Blood, and only blood. | sanguivore sanguivore eats body fluids Animal Foods blood |
| Two years, then breed and die | Therefore, Ixodes scapularis lives until reproduction. |
| Ambush from the vegetation | This "ambushing" is done by waiting on vegetation or the ground |
| adult females feed on a deer for five to seven days | Adult female ticks feed upon their definitive host, the white-tailed deer, for five to seven days while the male tick rarely feeds at all. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body sentence "Adult females feed on a white-tailed deer for five to seven days. Males rarely f") |

## Gulia-Nuss et al. (2016). Genomic insights into the Ixodes scapularis tick vector of Lyme disease. Nature Communications.

https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10507

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Ambushes a passing host, then feeds for days while its new, flexible outer shell helps it swell | The synthesis of flexible new cuticle is a unique feature that permits the engorgement of ixodid ticks during feeding |
| Scientists call this waiting game "questing". | locate hosts by ‘questing' from vegetation |
| As it feeds, the tick builds new, flexible cuticle (its outer shell), and that stretchy layer lets it swell up with blood. | The synthesis of flexible new cuticle is a unique feature that permits the engorgement of ixodid ticks during feeding |
| In the north-east and upper Midwest of the United States, where adults feed mostly on deer, the life cycle runs over two years. | where I. scapularis populations feed predominantly on deer as adults and complete the life cycle over 2 years |
| Its genome is 2.1 billion base pairs of DNA, which is large and packed with repeated sequences. | We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say) (note: Gbp = billion base pairs) |
| Its genome is 2.1 billion base pairs of DNA, which is large and packed with repeated sequences. | The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA |
| This is a three-host tick: larva, nymph and adult each need a blood meal from a host. | 'Three-host' ticks such as I. scapularis require a host blood meal at each life stage. |
| A genome study gives the same span for the full life cycle in the north-east and upper Midwest of the United States. | where I. scapularis populations feed predominantly on deer as adults and complete the life cycle over 2 years |
| A meal lasts several days. | Feeding occurs over several days |
| new, flexible cuticle lets them swell with blood | The synthesis of flexible new cuticle is a unique feature that permits the engorgement of ixodid ticks during feeding (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body sentence "As it feeds, the tick builds new, flexible cuticle (its outer shell), and that s") |

## Sonenshine (2018). Range Expansion of Tick Disease Vectors in North America: Implications for Spread of Tick-Borne Disease. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030478

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Humid deciduous forest and brushy habitat in eastern North America | I. scapularis is adapted to forest and brushy habitats, especially deciduous forests where sufficient ground cover provides very humid microenvironments. |
| it is extremely sensitive to drying out, and it suits deciduous forest with enough ground cover to keep the air very humid. | I. scapularis is extremely sensitive to desiccation, a factor limiting the duration of its above ground questing activity. |
| it is extremely sensitive to drying out, and it suits deciduous forest with enough ground cover to keep the air very humid. | especially deciduous forests where sufficient ground cover provides very humid microenvironments |
| During the 20th century it spread through most of the eastern United States and into southern Canada, following forest regrowth and the return of white-tailed deer. | I. scapularis has largely spread throughout most of the eastern United States and into southern Canada during the 20th century following the reforestation and reintroduction and proliferation of white-tailed deer |
| A 2018 review cited an advance of about 46 km a year in Ontario. | appears to be advancing rapidly, e.g., at ~46 km/year in Ontario |
| Following the deer north | into southern Canada during the 20th century following the reforestation and reintroduction and proliferation of white-tailed deer |

## Eisen & Eisen (2018). The Blacklegged Tick, Ixodes scapularis : An Increasing Public Health Concern. Trends in Parasitology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2017.12.006

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2018 review calls it a vector of seven human pathogens in the United States. | In the United States, the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is a vector of seven human pathogens |

## Hill & MacDonald. The Biology and Medical Importance of Ticks in Indiana (E-243-W). Purdue Extension, Department of Entomology.

https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-243.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| about the size of a poppy seed | Nymphs are approximately the size of a poppy seed |
| One guide lists hosts from 57 bird species, 41 mammal species and 11 lizard species. | Specimens have been collected on 57 species of birds, 41 species of mammals, and 11 species of lizards. |
| Its host list is very wide. | The black-legged tick has a very wide host range. |
| Purdue Extension compares them to a poppy seed | Nymphs are approximately the size of a poppy seed |

## Boulanger et al. (2025). Ticks and tick-borne diseases in the northern hemisphere affecting humans. Frontiers in Microbiology.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1632832

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | lineage II (deer tick virus) mainly transmitted by I. scapularis (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254: Deadly is a capability, read as for the tsetse fly and yellow fever mosquito: the bite can pass on Powassan virus) |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Powassan virus can cause severe disease, including inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254; the same paragraph gives a mortality rate of 15%) |