What does a flea egg look like? - briefly
Flea eggs are minuscule, oval‑shaped, roughly 0.5 mm in length, and appear white or faintly translucent. They are deposited in small clusters on the host’s fur or in the surrounding litter, where they cling to hair or fabric.
What does a flea egg look like? - in detail
Flea eggs are minute, oval‑shaped structures measuring roughly 0.5 mm in length and 0.2 mm in width. Their shells are thin, semi‑transparent, and often appear whitish or pale yellow when freshly deposited. As they age, the outer membrane may become slightly more opaque and take on a duller hue.
The surface of each egg is smooth, lacking any ridges or ornamentation. Under magnification, a faint, delicate membrane can be seen surrounding the embryo, providing a protective barrier while allowing gas exchange. The interior contains a clear, gelatinous fluid in which the developing larva resides.
When laid, eggs are typically scattered in clusters of 10–30 on the host’s fur, in the surrounding environment (such as bedding or carpet fibers), or in crevices where the adult flea has rested. In these locations, the eggs can adhere loosely to fibers or fall to the floor, where they remain vulnerable to desiccation.
Key visual characteristics:
- Size: about half a millimeter long, less than a quarter millimeter wide.
- Shape: elongated oval, slightly tapered at both ends.
- Color: initially white to pale yellow, becoming more opaque with time.
- Transparency: semi‑transparent, revealing the embryonic contents under magnification.
- Texture: smooth, membranous shell without external markings.
These attributes collectively define the typical appearance of a flea egg and aid in identification during microscopic examination.