Species group · Arachnids

Ticks

WAnimals has 3 species of tick, spread across 2 families (Argasidae, Ixodidae).

3 species
2 families
70 countries
Length
0.3 cm – 12 cm
Lifespan
3 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of ticks on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

3 Not Evaluated

No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 70 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Did you know…

  • It is the main vector of African swine fever, a disease that has killed hundreds of millions of pigs worldwide.

    From Eyeless Tampan

  • It also transmits African relapsing fever, caused by the bacterium Borrelia duttonii.

    From Eyeless Tampan

  • Unlike the hard ticks, which feed for days, this one feeds in minutes and can survive for years between one meal and the next.

    From Eyeless Tampan

  • It has a cycle involving three different hosts that takes two to three years to complete, and can stretch to six in extreme cases.

    From Castor Bean Tick

  • As many as 160 vertebrate species have been documented as its hosts: larvae and nymphs feed on rodents, birds and lizards, and the adults on large mammals.

    From Castor Bean Tick

  • The nymph, barely 1-2 mm across, is the main transmitter of Lyme borreliosis to people precisely because it goes unnoticed; it needs more than 24 hours of contact to pass the infection on.

    From Castor Bean Tick

  • It completes its cycle indoors and carries canine ehrlichiosis.

    From Kennel Tick

  • It is the only tick that has managed to become a household pest: it lays several thousand eggs in cracks around the house and can infest a whole home.

    From Kennel Tick

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one