What does a flea actually look like? - briefly
A flea is a tiny, wingless insect about 1–3 mm long, dark brown to reddish, with a laterally flattened body that resembles a tiny pancake. Its powerful hind legs are elongated and equipped with a specialized spring mechanism that enables extraordinary jumps.
What does a flea actually look like? - in detail
A flea is a compact, laterally flattened insect measuring 1 – 3 mm in length. Its body consists of three distinct regions: head, thorax, and abdomen, each covered by a hard, chitinous exoskeleton that resists water loss.
- Head: small, rounded, bearing a pair of short, segmented antennae that end in sensory clubs; compound eyes are reduced to a few lenses, providing limited vision. The mouthparts form a piercing‑sucking proboscis capable of penetrating host skin and drawing blood.
- Thorax: bears five pairs of legs. The hind legs are dramatically enlarged, with a powerful muscular femur and a resilient tibial spur that stores elastic energy for jumps up to 150 times the flea’s body length. Each leg ends in tiny claws adapted for gripping hair or fur.
- Abdomen: elongated, composed of nine visible segments, each bearing fine bristles (setae) that aid in sensory detection. The abdomen expands after blood meals, allowing the flea to increase its mass severalfold without compromising mobility.
Coloration ranges from reddish‑brown to dark brown, varying with species, age, and degree of engorgement. The cuticle may appear glossy when the insect is unfed and becomes matte after a blood meal. The flea’s entire body is covered with microscopic scales that reduce friction during rapid movement.
Internally, the digestive system includes a foregut for blood ingestion, a midgut where digestion occurs, and a hindgut for waste excretion. The reproductive tract occupies much of the abdomen; females can produce several eggs per day after a single blood meal.
These morphological traits enable the flea to locate hosts, attach securely, and execute extraordinary jumps, making it an efficient ectoparasite.