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Identify your tick.
Check your risk.
Match what you found against the field guide below, then tell us your state to see which diseases that species can carry and how your area compares to the CDC's highest-risk states.
Field guide
Specimen
Ixodes scapularis
Blacklegged (deer) tick
Small, reddish-brown to black, no white markings. Unfed nymphs are poppy-seed sized.
Carries
- · Lyme disease
- · Anaplasmosis
- · Babesiosis
- · Powassan virus
Specimen
Amblyomma americanum
Lone star tick
Reddish-brown, adult females have one distinct white dot ("lone star") on the back.
Carries
- · Ehrlichiosis
- · STARI (rash illness)
- · Alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy)
- · Rocky Mountain spotted fever (uncommon)
Specimen
Dermacentor variabilis
American dog tick
Larger, brown with mottled white/gray markings on the back.
Carries
- · Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- · Tularemia
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