Flea
The flea (Siphonaptera) is an insect which lives on many animals and sometimes humans. Fleas are ectoparasites and drink the blood of the animal they bite.
| Fleas | |
|---|---|
| File:Flea Scanning Electron Micrograph False Color.jpg | |
| False colour scanning electron micrograph of a flea. CDC image. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| (unranked): | Eumetabola |
| (unranked): | Endopterygota |
| Superorder: | Panorpida |
| Order: | Siphonaptera Latreille, 1825 |
Fleas live outdoors in sand or tall grass, and jump to any passing animal and lay eggs. Flea bites are usually red bumps and they itch.
There are many species of flea such as dog fleas, cat fleas, human fleas, northern rat fleas, and the oriental rat flea. During the Middle Ages, the oriental rat flea spread a bacteria that caused the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death or Black Plague. This was a huge epidemic much more severe than today's bird flu. The oriental rat flea was infected by the bacteria Yersinia pestis.
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Flea Media
- A dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis); adult, pupa, egg and lar Wellcome V0022501EL.jpg
Dog flea (from top) larva, egg, pupa and adult
- Flea Larva.jpg
Microscopic image of a flea larva. Red area is ingested blood.
- Common house fly, Musca domestica.jpg
Common house fly, Musca domestica
- Boreus hiemalis2 detail.jpg
Snow scorpionfly Boreus hiemalis
British Entomologycutted Plate114
- Gunzesrieder Tal Insekt 3.jpg
- GunzesriederTalInsekt
- P.wangi fossil image.png
Pseudopulex wangi, a primitive flea from the Early Cretaceous of China
- ChiggerBMNH (cropped).jpg
Chigger flea