{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "tick",
  "name": "Blacklegged Tick",
  "scientificName": "Ixodes scapularis",
  "category": "Invertebrate",
  "summary": "The blacklegged tick, also called the deer tick, is a tiny arachnid that attaches to hosts and feeds on blood, transmitting Lyme disease and other pathogens in eastern North America. Unfed nymphs are poppy-seed sized; adults are larger and most active in fall. Listed Not Evaluated by IUCN.",
  "conservationStatus": "Not Evaluated",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Arachnida",
    "order": "Ixodida",
    "family": "Ixodidae",
    "genus": "Ixodes"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.000003,
    "lengthM": 0.003,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0.05,
    "lifespanYears": 2
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Ixodes scapularis"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Blood — feeds on mammals, birds, and reptiles"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Deciduous forests, leaf litter, and grassy edges of eastern North America"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "2–3 years across larva, nymph, and adult stages"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "1–5 mg (0.000001–0.000005 kg) depending on stage"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Slow crawler; waits on vegetation with legs outstretched"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Not Evaluated (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Deciduous forest and grassy edges of eastern and midwestern United States and southeastern Canada — expanding northward with climate warming.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Ixodes scapularis.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Ixodes%20scapularis&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Ixodes scapularis. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ixodes_scapularis/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/tick/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/tick/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}