There are about 2,500 species of fleas. Adult fleas grow to about 3 millimeters long, are usually brown, and have bodies that are narrow to enable them to move through their hosts' fur or feathers. Their hind legs are extremely well adapted for jumping. Their claws keep them from being dislodged, and their mouthparts are adapted for pierc
There are about 2,500 species of fleas. Adult fleas grow to about 3 millimeters long, are usually brown, and have bodies that are narrow to enable them to move through their hosts' fur or feathers. Their hind legs are extremely well adapted for jumping. Their claws keep them from being dislodged, and their mouthparts are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. They can leap 50 times their body length. Thats the equivalent to us jumping as high as the Statue of Liberty! Once on its host, a flea will spend the entire life cycle there. The oriental rat flea is responsible for many plagues throughout history. The infected fleas feed on rodents, and then infect human populations with the plague. Outbreaks of the plague killed up to 200 million people across Europe between 1346 and 1671. The black death pandemic between 1346 and 1353 killed over a third of the population of Europe. In America alone, approximately $2.8 billion is spent annually on flea related veterinary bills and another $1.6 billion annually for flea treatment with pet groomers. $4 billion dollars is spent annually for prescription flea treatment and $348 million for flea pest control. Once reaching adulthood, the first blood meal triggers the maturation of the ovaries in females and the dissolution of the testicular plug in males. Some species breed all year-round while others synchronize their activities with their hosts' life cycles or with local environmental factors and climatic conditions.
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