Tick Identification Guide: 9 Common Tick Species in North America

Tick Identification Guide: 9 Common Tick Species in North America

Canada is home to several different tick species. While not every tick bites humans or spreads disease, knowing which species you've found can help you understand your risk after a tick bite.

Some ticks carry Lyme disease, while others may transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, or other pathogens.

Below you'll find the major tick species found in Canada, along with identification tips, habitats, hosts, and the diseases they may carry.

1. Blacklegged Tick aka Deer Tick

Scientific name Ixodes scapularis

Found in

  • Ontario
  • Quebec
  • Manitoba
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Southern Saskatchewan
  • Expanding across Canada

Primary hosts

  • White-footed mice
  • Deer
  • Birds
  • Humans

Diseases carried

  • Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
  • Anaplasmosis
  • Babesiosis
  • Powassan virus
  • Borrelia miyamotoi disease
  • Ehrlichiosis (rare)

2. Western Blacklegged Tick

Scientific name Ixodes pacificus

Found

  • British Columbia

Diseases

  • Lyme disease
  • Anaplasmosis
  • Borrelia miyamotoi

3. American Dog Tick

Scientific name Dermacentor variabilis

Found

  • Ontario
  • Quebec
  • Manitoba
  • Nova Scotia

Diseases

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever (rare in Canada)
  • Tularemia

Can also cause:

  • Tick paralysis

4. Rocky Mountain Wood Tick

Scientific name Dermacentor andersoni

Found

  • British Columbia Interior
  • Alberta

Diseases

  • Colorado Tick Fever
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Tularemia

Can also cause tick paralysis.

5. Lone Star Tick

Scientific name Amblyomma americanum

Found

Still uncommon in Canada, but increasingly reported in:

  • Ontario
  • Quebec

Often transported by birds.

Diseases

  • Ehrlichiosis
  • Tularemia
  • Heartland virus (not established in Canada)
  • STARI

Other concern

Can trigger Alpha-gal Syndrome, a red meat allergy

6. Brown Dog Tick

Scientific name Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Found

Across Canada inside:

  • homes
  • kennels
  • veterinary clinics

Cannot survive Canadian winters outdoors.

Diseases

Can carry:

  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Ehrlichiosis

Mostly affects dogs.

7. Groundhog Tick

 

Scientific name Ixodes cookei

Found

Eastern Canada

Hosts

  • Groundhogs
  • Skunks
  • Raccoons
  • Humans (occasionally)

Diseases

Most important:

  • Powassan virus

Rarely associated with Lyme disease.


8. Squirrel Tick 

Scientific name Ixodes marxi

Hosts

  • Squirrels
  • Small mammals

Human bites

Very uncommon.

Diseases

Currently no significant human pathogens are known to be transmitted.


9. Beaver Tick

Scientific name Ixodes banksi

Hosts

Mostly:

  • Beavers
  • Muskrats

Rarely bites people.

Diseases

No confirmed important human disease transmission.

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