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WHAT ARE TICKS?

Ticks are tiny creatures called parasites. A parasite can be a plant or an animal which feeds on a host (another plant or animal). Ticks are parasites which feed on the blood of lots of types of animals and sometimes people.

Ticks do not have wings to fly. They also cannot jump. They travel by walking on the ground and up plants, or are transported by birds and animals. Then they wait for a host (an animal or person) to pass by. When the host comes near, they drop onto it or hook onto it with special hooks on their legs. Some types of tick live in the burrows or nests of animals and birds.