Also known as the wood tick, the American dog tick gets its name from the fact that adult ticks prefer to feed on domestic dogs, coupled with the tick species being found only in North America. The American dog tick is a member of the hard tick family, meaning that it possesses a hard exterior shield. American dog ticks are known to harbor bacteria responsible for causing diseases in humans such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is spread when they suck blood from their host.

The blacklegged (deer) tick is a notorious biting arachnid named for its dark legs. Blacklegged ticks are sometimes called deer ticks because their preferred adult host is the white-tailed deer. In the Midwest, blacklegged ticks are called the bear ticks. Deer ticks are found primarily in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southeastern, and northcentral United States but extend into Mexico.

The Rocky Mountain wood tick gets its name from its primary distribution being in the Rocky Mountain states, such as Colorado, Idaho and Montana, amongst others. This tick species has the preferred habitat of wooded areas such as meadows, lawns and forests. The Rocky Mountain wood tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia as well as cause tick paralysis.