The life cycle of a tick can be classified into 4 stages.
Ticks are relatives of spiders, scorpions, and mites.
Specifically, ticks feed on an animal's blood or body fluids. When a warm-blooded animal walks past, the tick can crawl onto them and begins feeding. During feeding, tick saliva can get into the host's body and blood stream. Any tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferi can then inadvertently spread this bacteria to the host. Male and female ticks usually mate while attached to the host.