Tick

There are several species that vary in appearance, but all of the adults are small, round with eight legs. All ticks feed exclusively on the blood of vertebrates. There are two families of ticks: hard ticks and soft ticks. Dog ticks are small, red-brown in colour, uniform in colour. The mouthparts are easily seen when viewed from above. The body is flattened and shaped like a tear drop. 

Ticks have four stages in their life: egg, larva, nymph and adult. Mating usually occurs while adult ticks are on the body of the host animal. The female then drops to the ground and deposits her eggs. When they are at the larvae stage they are called "seed ticks" with six legs. 

Many tick species can be carried indoors on animals, but cannot complete their entire life cycle inside. The adults attach to the ears and between the toes and the larvae and nymphs are often found in hair along the back, however are not restricted to these parts. Ticks can carry serious diseases.