Fascinating facts

A flea can jump 30,000 times without stopping.
Fleas can jump over 150 times their own size (12 inches high), the equivalent of a human jumping about 1,000 feet – which is higher than St Paul's Cathedral.
Fleas can pull 160,000 times their own weight, the equivalent of a human pulling 11 million kilos – or 2,679 double-decker buses.
There are 2,200 species and sub-species of fleas throughout the world.
Female cat fleas can drink 15 times their body weight in blood. Cat fleas have been found on as many as 50 different hosts including foxes, skunks, rodents, raccoons and ferrets.
Around 70 fleas can ingest 1ml of blood from a pet per day.
Fleas don’t have ears and are virtually blind.
The average flea is 2-3 millimetres long and weighs half a grain (a millionth of a pound).
79% of fleas found on dogs are cat fleas.
Fleas reverse direction with every jump.
Fleas are attracted to heat, aroused by carbon dioxide and sensitive to vibrations.
Flea larvae don't like the light so move away from it, deep into carpets, cracks in flooring or any nook or cranny.
The world's biggest flea is the beaver flea, which reaches about 11mm.
A pullicologist is a flea expert.
In a Kiev museum, there’s a flea that wears horseshoes made of real gold.
When jumping, the flea accelerates 50 times faster than a space shuttle.
More than 13,000 fleas were once removed from a Red Squirrel.

Fleas in the home

95% of a flea infestation (eggs, larvae, pupae) will be living in rugs, carpets, sofas and beds – not on your pet.
Just one flea can become 1,000 on your pet and in your home in only 21 days.

Fleas and disease

Fleas cause 80% of all skin diseases suffered by cats and dogs. Fleas can transmit diseases to humans. Fleas jumping from rats to humans transmitted Yersinia pestis, the cause of the Black Plague in 1664, killing 70,000 people in London.
A fleabite on pets can cause skin allergy problems such as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD) and fleas can also transmit tapeworms and 'cat scratch disease', a disease which can affect humans.

Fleas in history

Fleas date back 40 million years.
Flea circuses originated in England in the 16th century.
Flea brides and grooms (dressed, but dead) were popular collectors' items in the 1920s.