(Ctenocephalides felis)
The Siphonaptera (from the Greek; aptera = wingless, siphon = hollow tube), otherwise known as fleas, are among the most unloved of insects, approaching in reputation that of the tsetse fly and various mosquito species. And while they might deserve such derision, take a moment to look in wonder at the flea and its mechanics. Those species that live and feed on hairy mammals, including our insect of the week, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), have evolved to fix themselves tightly on a host, the fleas’ combs catching onto single hairs. In addition, their tarsal hooks are recurved, further enabling them to grasp a hair tightly, making it difficult to get rid of them. Another obvious feature of benefit to fleas is their shape. As flat as a pancake from side to side they can easily navigate among the jungle of hairs on their host. And should they need to escape in a jiffy they have a spring-loaded jumping mechanism. Some flea species are capable of jumping 50 times the length of their bodies (consider that a long jump that is about 5 times the length of a human adult is good enough to win an olympic gold medal). Fleas are exceeded in jumping ability only by the Cercopidae (froghoppers), a family of true bugs.
Credits: Dr Robert Copeland