Ixodes pacificus, the western black-legged tick, is a species of tick found on the western coast of North America. The western black-legged tick is a hard tick, i.e., a member of the family Ixodidae. The larvae and nymphs typically feed on lizards and small mammals, while adults typically feed on deer. It is an ectoparasite that attaches itself to the outside of its host and feeds on the host's blood. It can have a heteroxenous lifestyle or monoxenous life cycle depending on how many hosts it feeds on in each cycle. I. pacificus has a four-stage life cycle that takes around 3 years to complete; these stages include egg, larva, nymph, and adult.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
We have no record of Western Black-legged Tick being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Ixodida
- Family
- Ixodidae
- Genus
- Ixodes
- Species
- Ixodes pacificus
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