Do Fleas Have Lungs?
WouterFleas have three parts: the mouth, a pair of legs, and a pair of wings. These parts are used for feeding. The mouth pierces the host’s skin and cuts a blood vessel. The flea then sucks the blood from the host’s body. When fleas feed, they also open up salivary glands to inject anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing.
Adult fleas feed on warm-blooded animals such as humans and pets. They may take as many as 15 blood meals per day. Once they’re fed, female fleas lay eggs. These eggs are light-coloured and oval-shaped, and larvae emerge from the eggs within a few weeks. If they are disturbed, they emerge from their cocoons.
Adult fleas are about 1/8 of an inch long and are reddish brown. Their bodies are thin, which makes it difficult to squash them. Their hind legs are long and wide, and they have slender proboscis. Adult fleas have a large number of immature fleas living in their bodies. These larvae live on their host’s fur and can produce as many as a hundred eggs at a time. Unlike ticks, fleas are not able to breathe.
Fleas have cuticles covered with wax that repels water and renders them unwettable. They also have an oil-like covering on their bodies that allows them to move along their host’s hair. This waxy covering may extend into their trachea, preventing water from entering their respiratory system. Despite these flaws, fleas can survive brief immersions in water but will thrash around until they can crawl out.
