The flea, Hystrichopsylla schefferi, is an awe-inspiring colossus that can reach nearly half an inch, its head alone the size of a cat flea or dog flea.
At 20.6 millimetres long, the 165-million-year old fossils dwarf the largest living flea – a 12 mm species which plagues the mountain beaver of North America.
With an adult body length of as much as 0.5 inches (13 mm), it is the largest living flea in the world, and is native to the American Northwest. Though most members of the genus Hystrichopsylla are not strongly associated with any particular host animal and will parasitize insectivores and rodents generally, H.
Among a horde of insect fossils recovered from China and Mongolia, Diying Huang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered several species of giant fleas. There are nine individuals from three different species, and they hail from the middle Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.
A Flea's Fantastic Jump Takes More Than Muscle | Deep Look
Can fleas see you?
Fleas are tiny wingless parasites that survive by sucking on animal or human blood. They find new hosts to live on by searching for body heat, movements, and breathing. (Fleas usually can't see well.) Once fleas detect a new host, they jump onto its skin, fur, or feathers.
New adult fleas have a flat-bodied appearance and are very small and dark in color. Once they have had a chance to feed off your pet, they will become larger and lighter in color, taking on the more recognizable flea shape.
Immediate awareness - A flea bite is usually felt immediately, with a single flea often biting two or three times in the same area. No initial pain - The actual bite does not really hurt. It is the itchiness that results from the body's reaction that causes the discomfort.
If you see just a few fleas on your dog, you may be tempted to think it's not a big deal. Although the random flea might show up if you've just taken your pup for a walk, more than one or two could be a sign of a problem. As few as 20 fleas might mean your pet is infested, while the most could be between 200 to 300.
You can get fleas in your hair, but they won't stay and live there. Human hair isn't thick enough to provide shelter for fleas, and most species of flea don't even feed on humans, anyway. If a flea jumps onto you from one of your pets, it will probably leave in search of better shelter.
The insects were not quite like fleas as we now know them. Whereas modern fleas range from 1 to 10 millimetres in length, the Jurassic and Cretaceous species were between 8 and 21 millimetres. “These were hefty insects as far as fleas are concerned,” says Engel.
While fleas don't have wings, they are able to catapult themselves 40 to 100 times their body length in distance and up to 2 feet in height. To say this is an impressive feat of athleticism would be an understatement. It's even more impressive when you put it in the context of a human being.
Tunga penetrans is the smallest known flea, the adult being less than 1 mm in length. The adult female penetrates the epidermis of the host within 6–8 hours, leaving the rear abdominal segments protruding.
A bacterium (Yersinia pestis) spread by fleas killed 25 million people, more than a quarter of the European population, in 14 th century Europe. This was the “black plague.” Epidemics also occurred in Egypt, Africa, China, India and even the U.S., before the discovery of antibiotics.
Instead, super-fleas are called that because of their ability to reproduce in numbers much higher than normal fleas as a single female can lay as many as 50 eggs per day. Still, the increased number of their offspring means these fleas will take some more persuasion before you can be satisfied that they're gone.
While adult fleas all suck blood from a cat or dog or other mammal, their larvae live and feed on organic debris in the host animal's environment. Flea larvae are blind. If you happen to see one flea, there may be more than 100 offspring or adults looming nearby in furniture, corners, cracks, carpet or on your pet.
Getting rid of fleas in your home isn't easy. It's time consuming and not always 100 percent effective. Even if you do everything right, you're probably going to have to keep killing fleas for the next two weeks or so.
Mopping and steam cleaning can help to kill flea eggs, and washing linens, bedding, and pet beds in the washing machine on the hot cycle is also advisable. If possible, declutter your home so it's easier to clean and there are fewer places for flea eggs to hide.
When a flea first emerges as an adult, it must find its first blood meal within one week or it will starve to death. After this first blood meal, non-reproducing female and male fleas may survive without feeding up to 4 days but egg-laying adult females will die within 24 hours without a blood meal.
While fleas can technically lay eggs on our scalp, the possibility of this happening is extremely rare. Given how much these small parasites can disrupt a household, however, knowing all you can about fleas can help you avoid an infestation or manage an existing flea problem.
Covering skin with long-sleeve clothing and pants will minimize exposure to bites. Flea bites often occur on the lower legs and feet, protect these areas with long socks and pants. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
The first sign of fleas in your bed may be waking up with itchy bites on your skin. If fleas fall off a pet and land in the bed, they may bite humans if the pet is not nearby. For some people who aren't sensitive to flea bites or don't sleep with their pet, the first sign of fleas is a pet's constant scratching.
Pets out in the wild, in tall grass and in the wilderness can end up with fleas. Fleas cannot fly as they do not have wings, but they can jump many times longer than their own body length. Thus, they are able to jump onto a passing animal or human and latch on their body hair and skin.
However, fleas take the path of least resistance. If you got a short-haired cat rather than a long-haired cat, it's going to be easier for them to access and get down to the skin in order to suck blood on a short-haired cat, but not exclusively so. Long-haired cats can be a target for fleas.
