6 September 2018 - FACTS ABOUT THE COMMON FLEA



FACTS ABOUT 
THE COMMON FLEA

G'day folks,

Welcome to some facts about a worldwide  pest.



Quick Facts
  • Type: Insect
  • Diet: Blood
  • Lifespan: 2 to 4 months
  • Size: 1.5 – 3.3 mm long
  • Weight: 0.45 mg
  • Scientific name: Ctenocephalides
  • Habitat: On the skin of warm-blooded animals.
  •  Fleas can jump around 30 thousand times in a row!
  • They can also jump very high. If they were human-sized then they would be able to jump over the Eiffel Tower with an acceleration force of 140G… That’s an acceleration rate 50 times greater than a rocket taking off into space!
  • Fleas can lift objects 150 times heavier than their own body weight.
  • Once adult fleas emerge from their puparia, they have approximately 7 days to find a blood meal or they will die.



  • Females can consume 15 times their own body weight in blood on a daily basis.
  • Female fleas can lay about 2,000 eggs over the course of their lives, but are incapable of laying eggs until after their first meal.
  • Once they have had their first blood meal, female fleas will lay their eggs within 35 to 48 hours.
  • Flea eggs are usually laid directly on a host, often falling off and spreading the infestation to the surrounding environment.
  • Over 2500 species of fleas have been identified by entomologists but many more are thought to exist. Entomologists are scientists who study insects.







Clancy's comment: Mm ... Amazing little guys, eh? 

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