Flea
Scientific Name: Siphonaptera (order), various species such as Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) or Pulex irritans (human flea)
Order & Family: Order: Siphonaptera, Family: Pulicidae (most common)
Size: Typically 1.5 to 3.3 mm (0.06 to 0.13 inches) in length.
Natural Habitat
Fleas are ectoparasites that live on warm-blooded animals, including pets (cats, dogs), livestock, and humans. They are often found in carpets, bedding, and cracks in floors where their eggs, larvae, and pupae develop.
Diet & Feeding
Adult fleas are hematophagous, meaning they feed exclusively on the blood of their hosts. Larvae feed on organic debris, including adult flea feces (which contain digested blood).
Behavior Patterns
Fleas are wingless insects known for their ability to jump long distances relative to their size, which they use to move between hosts. Their life cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The pupal stage can remain dormant for extended periods until stimulated by vibrations or warmth from a potential host.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: Fleas are a nuisance to humans and pets, causing itchy bites, skin irritation, and allergic reactions. They can transmit diseases such as murine typhus and plague (though less common now), and carry tapeworms (e.g., Dipylidium caninum) as an intermediate host. Benefits: There are no direct benefits of fleas to humans, and their ecological benefit is primarily as a food source for some predatory insects or larger animals, and as a natural population control, though this is overshadowed by their pest status.
Identified on: 11/30/2025