How far can a flea jump?

There are many different types of fleas in the Pulicidae family of fleas. For example, a dog Flea (Ctenocephalides canis) lives on a dog, but other species of fleas live on other animals.

The flea is tiny, growing to about 3 millimetres (an eighth of an inch) long, which is about the size of a sesame seed. 

It does not have wings. It jumps. 

A flea can jump vertically about 50 times their body length. This means a flea can jump about 15 centimetres (6 inches) high. That’s about 2 Glue Sticks high.

A flea can jump horizontally more than 50 times their body length. It can jump about 45 centimetres (18 inches) long. That’s about 6 Sticky Notes long.

Photographer: Martina Nicolls, and Ctenocephalides canis, pulga del perro. Fotomicrografía. Fotografía: Luis Fernández García. 2007-03-16

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM