Squirrel Tick
Scientific name: Ixodes marxi
The squirrel tick is considered an enzootic vector of the Powassan virus (POWV), a deadly pathogen to humans. Enzootic vectors transmit pathogens among wildlife species facilitating the infection of more ticks.
Hosts
While the primary hosts of the squirrel tick are squirrels, ticks of this species have been found on other small or medium-sized mammals such as rodents, raccoons, and rabbits. The squirrel tick rarely bites people.
Habitat
This tick can be found in the nests or feeding on squirrels, their primary hosts, and is distributed mainly in the Northeast region of the U.S.
Locations in NJ
The first confirmed and vouchered report of a squirrel tick in New Jersey was in 2021 during surveillance of mammals in the Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Cook campus.
Active Months
Squirrels nest twice a year in NJ: from December to February and from late June through August, which may be when squirrel ticks are primarily active in the environment.