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tick: Quick Facts

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Scientists discover a surprising link between acorns and lyme disease • Nov. 9, 2026, 6:47 AM ET (Science Daily)

Facts

Also Known As Metastigmata • Ixodida

Photos and Videos

Tick
Tick micrograph
Diagram of the life cycle of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), showing seasonal stages from engorged female laying eggs in spring, larva and nymph stages feeding on animal and human hosts in summer, and adult ticks on hosts in fall and winter. Arrows indicate progression through each stage, with illustrations of ticks and typical hosts such as deer, horses, dogs, and humans.
Close-up of a female American dog tick with a reddish-brown body and pale markings, clinging to a green plant stem.
A detailed illustration of a black-legged tick or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), showing its reddish-brown oval body and eight segmented legs spread outward.
Cattle tick
Tiny tick
Rocky Mountain wood tick
Learn how scientists are targeting the glands required for tick digestion to prevent the spread of disease
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Key People

Theobald Smith
Theobald Smith
American pathologist
default image
Howard T. Ricketts
American pathologist

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