How high do fleas jump? - briefly
Fleas can leap roughly 8 cm (about 3 inches) upward, which is approximately 150 times their body length.
How high do fleas jump? - in detail
Fleas are capable of vertical leaps that exceed one hundred times their body length. A typical adult, measuring about 2 mm, can clear a distance of roughly 18 cm (7 in) straight upward. Horizontal displacements reach up to 30 cm (12 in) when the animal launches from a surface.
The jump results from an elastic energy‑storage system. Muscles contract slowly, loading the protein resilin located in the flea’s leg pad. Upon release, resilin expands in less than a millisecond, delivering acceleration of 100 g to 200 g. This rapid energy discharge propels the insect to a peak velocity of approximately 1.5 m s⁻¹.
Comparative data illustrate the flea’s performance as exceptional among arthropods. Grasshoppers achieve jumps of 20 times their length; springtails reach 100 times. Only certain jumping spiders and the froghopper approach the flea’s ratio, but they fall short in absolute height.
Species variation influences maximum height. The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) consistently reaches the upper range of 18–20 cm, whereas the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) averages slightly lower values. Ambient temperature affects muscle efficiency; warmer conditions increase jump length by up to 15 %.
In summary, fleas exhibit a jumping capability of 18 cm vertically and 30 cm horizontally, powered by a resilin‑based spring mechanism that generates accelerations up to 200 g. This performance surpasses most insects in both relative and absolute terms.