Depending on sex and type, ticks can expand to different sizes, as large as a grape or as small as an apple seed, when they feed on blood.
A lone star tick is a type of tick known for a white star shape on the female’s back. It is commonly found in outdoor areas of the United States, from the East Coast to the state of Texas. A bite from this tick can be very irritating and can lead to more serious infections. Careful removal of a lone star tick is important, and this is usually done with tweezers.
The body of a lone star is usually brown. Easily identified by bright white or silver star marking on female’s back. Male lone star ticks also have white markings, but these markings are usually stripes.
Both male and female lone star ticks have round or tear-shaped bodies. They also have eight legs. Mouthparts used to feed on an animal’s blood can also be seen protruding from the front of the body.
Lone star ticks are found outdoors from the East Coast all the way north, from Maine to Texas.
Like many other types of ticks, the lone star tick is very small. Unless engorged with blood, this type of tick is very difficult to see with the naked eye. A female tick is usually larger than a male, about 0.25 inches (6.5 millimeters) long. However, after feeding on an animal’s blood, its body can expand to around 0.5 inches (13 millimeters).
A lone star tick should be carefully removed with tweezers.
The lone star tick can usually be found in wooded areas and in the brush. This species of tick can sometimes be found in the far north of the US state of Maine. They can also be found in the eastern and central parts of the country, down to Texas.
Warm-blooded animals are the main targets of the lone star tick. They attach to birds and mammals, including humans, as they pass by. Once the tick is on an animal, it sinks its barbed mouthparts into the animal’s skin. It will then secrete saliva and begin to suck blood from the host. After a lone star tick becomes completely engorged with blood, it leaves the host, and the females lay thousands of eggs.
A lone star tick bite can cause a fever.
A lone star tick bite can leave a red welt that is usually itchy afterwards. Scientists have found, however, that lone star ticks do not generally infect their hosts with Lyme disease. They can infect hosts with a similar but less severe infection known as southern tick-associated rash disease (STARI). Like Lyme disease, this infection can cause headaches, fever, rashes, and muscle aches. However, it usually goes away on its own.
Muscle aches can develop as a result of a lone star tick bite.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, on the other hand, is a more serious disease that can be transmitted by the lone star tick. Symptoms of this condition often include fever and headaches, as well as a blotchy rash around the ankles and wrists. In some cases, this infection can be fatal if not treated right away.