Ticks aren't insects or bugs in the strict sense of either term, but rather insect-like creatures more closely related to scorpions, spiders and mites than to the lice and fleas they slightly resemble.

Ticks, like fleas, are blood-sucking parasites that prey on a broad range of warm-blooded host animals, including- but not limited to- dogs, cows, deer, horses and human beings. Though there are many specific species of tick, these insect-like creatures come in two basic types: hard and soft. Hard ticks, which derive their name from the tough, shield-like plate that  covers their back, are the most common and feed mainly on large, free-ranging animals. Soft ticks are leathery in texture and feed principally on animals that dwell in burrows, caves and other secluded spaces. Certain species within either general type, however, can and will bite humans if given the chance.

As a vector (or carrier) of disease, the tick actually represents more of a threat to human and animal health than such notorious characters as the flea and the cockroach. They carry germs that can cause anemia, paralysis, and even death, and are known transmitters of Colorado Tick Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and Lyme Disease. And humans aren't the only ones who suffer: Dogs and livestock are also susceptible to deadly or debilitating diseases contracted through tick bites.