How many walking legs does a tick have? - briefly
A tick moves with eight legs, all of which function as walking appendages. This leg count is characteristic of arachnids.
How many walking legs does a tick have? - in detail
Ticks belong to the class Arachnida, which characteristically possesses four pairs of locomotor appendages. Consequently, an adult tick has eight legs that function in walking and climbing. The legs are segmented into coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia and tarsus, each bearing sensory hairs that detect temperature, carbon dioxide and host movement.
Developmental stages modify the leg count:
- Larva – six walking legs (three pairs); the two anterior pairs are absent until the first molt.
- Nymph – eight walking legs (four pairs) after the larval‑to‑nymphal transition.
- Adult – eight walking legs retained throughout maturity.
In addition to the eight locomotor legs, ticks possess two pairs of pedipalps, which are not used for locomotion but serve as sensory and feeding structures. The walking legs are the sole means by which ticks navigate vegetation, host surfaces and the environment.