Flea and Lice Facts

Fleas and lice are small wingless insects that live on birds and mammals, including humans. Dogs, cats and rats are especially prone to fleas.
Fleas and sucking lice suck their host’s blood.
Chewing lice chew on their host’s skin and hair or feathers. Chewing lice do not live on humans.
The human head louse has a body length of 2-3mm. Once its crab-like legs and hooked claws cling to its victim’s hair or skin, it is harder to shift than a limpet on a seaside rock.
Fleas and lice are often too small to see easily. But adult fleas grow to over 2 mm long.
A flea can jump 30 cm in the air equivalent of–the a human leaping 200 m in the air.
The fleas in flea circuses perform tricks such as jumping through hoops and pulling wagons.
Fleas spread by jumping from one animal to another, to suck their blood.
When fleas lay their eggs, they hatch as larvae and crawl off into the host’s bedding, where they spin cocoons and emerge as adults 2 weeks later.
Head lice gum their nits (eggs) to hair and spread from head to head through sharing of combs and hats.
Fleas jump with a force of 140 g – over 20 times that required to launch a space rocket.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.