The American Dog Tick is the largest of the eastern wood ticks, and the one you are most likely to see. Ticks are arachnids and, like their spider cousins, have eight legs.

The American Dog Tick is reddish-brown with white or yellow markings. The male tick is about 1/8 inch long, and the female is slightly larger. She will get much bigger (about 1/2 inch), though, after she drinks her fill of blood.

Ticks are parasites, and they must find a mammal host for blood. They use their claws to grab onto a host and then dig under the skin with their mouthparts. Their mouth lets out a chemical, which is an anesthesia, to keep the host from knowing it's there. The tick can then bury its head in the host's flesh and drink as much blood as it wants.