Dermacentor albipictus, the winter tick, is a species of hard tick that parasitizes many different mammal species in North America. It is commonly associated with cervid species such as elk (Cervus canadensis), white-tailed deer and mule deer (Odocoileus sp.) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus sp.) but is primarily known as a serious pest for moose (Alces alces)." As early as 1909, Ernest Thompson Seton described the winter tick as a greater enemy of the moose than were "wolves, bears, and cougars."