Ixodes scapularis - Deer Tick
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Where do Deer Ticks live? You can find them in wooded or brushy areas. This habitat provides a more humid climate that ticks need to survive and also provides ‘food’ or hosts for them to attach on to. Ticks become dormant in temperature lower than 45ºF and use the leaf litter and grass to take shelter during the winter months. Other animals that live in this habitat are deer, mice, raccoons, foxes, and many more.
This figure shows the distribution of Deer Ticks throughout the U.S. The red represent Deer Ticks (also known as Black-legged Ticks). The yellow and green represent Western Black-legged Ticks.
As this figure shows, the Deer Tick has adapted to many different climates, all east of the Rocky Mountains, but it still lives in the same environmental wooded, brushy habitat.