Flea
Scientific Name: For a common flea found on humans/pets, commonly Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) or Ctenocephalides canis (dog flea), though the cat flea is more common on both.
Order & Family: Order: Siphonaptera (meaning "wingless siphon"), Family: Pulicidae (common fleas)
Size: Typically 1.5 to 3.2 mm (0.06 to 0.13 inches) long.
Natural Habitat
Fleas are found globally wherever their hosts (pets like cats and dogs, but also wildlife like rodents, rabbits, etc.) reside. This includes homes, yards, pet bedding, carpets, and cracks in floors.
Diet & Feeding
Adult fleas feed exclusively on the blood of their warm-blooded hosts (mammals and birds).
Behavior Patterns
Fleas are excellent jumpers, able to leap over 100 times their body length. They are parasitic, spending most of their adult lives on a host, feeding on blood. They can lay eggs on the host, which then fall off into the environment (carpets, bedding, pet resting areas) and develop through larval and pupal stages before emerging as adults to find a new host.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: Fleas can cause intense itching, skin irritation, and allergic reactions (flea allergy dermatitis) in humans and pets. They can also transmit diseases, such as tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum) to pets and, in rare historical cases, plague (via Yersinia pestis) to humans. Benefits: While generally considered pests, they are a food source for some predatory insects and small animals in the ecosystem.
Identified on: 6/26/2025