
The SciencesAugust 1, 1990
Essay: A Born Naturalist's Keen Insights

Essay: A Born Naturalist's Keen Insights

The Flying Leap of the Flea
This flightless insect can jump 100 times its own length. It does so by the sudden release of energy stored in a rubberlike protein located at the site of the wing-hinge ligament in flying insects

Fleas
They have evolved some remarkable a adaptations to their hosts. Perhaps the most remarkable is found in the European rabbit flea, the breeding cycle of which is regulated by the reproductive hormones of the rabbit