Tick identification guide
Deer Tick vs. Dog Tick: How to Tell Them Apart
American dog ticks are generally larger and more ornate. Blacklegged ticks are smaller, darker-legged, and lack the dog tick's mottled pale shield.
Blacklegged tick
- ◆Dark legs
- ◆No ornate cream-colored shield pattern
- ◆Adult females often have a reddish-orange body around a dark shield
- ◆Common across the eastern and central United States
American dog tick
- ◆Larger adult body
- ◆Mottled cream or gray markings on the shield
- ◆Shorter mouthparts than several Amblyomma species
- ◆Widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains
Reference: CDC tick guidance. Tick ranges and public-health guidance can change; consult the linked source for current information.