Female blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). The blacklegged tick is an external parasite that attaches to a host, pierces the skin using its sharp mo

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Female blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). The blacklegged tick is an external parasite that attaches to a host, pierces the skin using its sharp mouthparts and feeds on the host's blood. The female of the blacklegged tick species can lay up to 3000 eggs in her lifetime. These ticks are vectors of Lyme disease in North America, which causes fever and joint inflammation.

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Photo credit: © SCOTT BAUER/US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, arachnid, arachnida, biological, biology, black-legged, blacklegged, blood-sucking, disease, ectoparasite, exoparasite, external, fauna, female, invertebrates, ixodes, lyme, nature, parasite, parasitic, parasitology, scapularis, single, tick, vector, wildlife, zoological, zoology