Ticks

Ticks, a group of Arachnida belonging to the order Acarina (q.v.) or. Mites, and forming the family Ixodidae. The dog tick (Ixodes plumbeus), which lives attached to the hair of the dog, is a well-known representative; this lives probably on vegetable food, and is not a true parasite on the animal to which it attaches itself. Many animals called ticks belong to other groups; thus the sheep tlcks are really small wingless flies.