#4410 · 🕷️ spiders & kin
American Dog Tick
Dermacentor variabilis
8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
what is it?
Dermacentor variabilis , also known as the American dog tick or wood tick , is a species of tick that is known to carry bacteria responsible for several diseases in humans, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia ( Francisella tularensis ). It is one of the most well-known hard ticks. Diseases are spread when it sucks blood from the host, which could take several days for the host to experience some symptoms.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 33,558 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Thomas Say in 1821 (205 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- American Dog Tick
- scientific name
- Dermacentor variabilis
- class
- Arachnida
- order
- Ixodida
- family
- Ixodidae
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 33,558
- GBIF records in NL
- 0
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1821 by Thomas Say
relatives· Ixodidae
#4216 📷 8Castor Bean Tick
🇳🇱 Schapenteek
Ixodes ricinus
👀 107 in NL
#4338 📷 10Ornate Cow Tick
🇳🇱 Vlekkenteek
Dermacentor reticulatus
👀 6 in NL
#4421 📷 10Eastern Black-legged Tick
🇳🇱 Amerikaanse hertenteek
Ixodes scapularis
🌍 18.2k seen
#4433 📷 7Lone Star Tick
Amblyomma americanum
🌍 14k seen
#4388 📷 7Ornate Sheep Tick
Dermacentor marginatus
🌍 2.2k seen
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 52155, Wikidata Q4297977, GBIF 2183465, Wikipedia (EN). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.