Book 18, Question 71
What Are Snow Fleas?
Snow fleas are tiny black specks that hop around on the snow, but they are not real fleas! They do not bite people or pets. They are tiny animals called springtails.
More fun facts
- Some snow fleas are not fleas at all but tiny insects called snow scorpionflies.
- Springtails are also sometimes called snow fleas.
- Snow scorpionflies love snow and can leap up to 30 centimeters.
- Scientists think snow scorpionflies are close relatives of true fleas.
- There are only about 26 kinds of these snow fleas, but about 2,380 kinds of true fleas.
Sources: Scientific American, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
How are true fleas different?
True fleas have mouthparts for piercing and sucking; snow scorpionflies do not.