Dog flea
The dog flea is a tiny brown insect with no wings that lives in the fur of dogs and cats. Its body is flat from side to side, so it can slip easily between the hairs. It has long back legs and is a super jumper.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
A flea can go for several months without eating anything.
One female can lay about 4,000 eggs in an animal's fur.
Its body is covered in little hairs and spines that help it move through fur.
It looks almost exactly like the cat flea. Scientists tell them apart by the shape of the head.
Vacuuming carpets and washing your pet's bed every week helps get rid of flea eggs.
Most asked questions about Dog flea
?Can dog fleas bite humans?
Yes, sometimes. The bites leave small, itchy red bumps, often on the ankles, knees or elbows.
?How do you get rid of dog fleas?
The pet needs flea treatment, and the home needs a good clean too. Vacuum well and wash the pet's bed every week.
?Can dog fleas live on cats?
Yes. Dog fleas live on dogs and cats and on many other furry animals.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Ctenocephalides canis
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Pulicidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Siphonaptera > Pulicidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- Dog flea (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Fedaro. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Common earwig
Silverfish
Chigoe flea
Giant earwig
Grannom
Firebrat
Stable fly
Drain fly
Turkestan cockroach
Case-bearing clothes moth
Ghost ant
Eastern carpenter bee