was photographed on the Grundy Day Loop at the Savage Gulf area of Grundy County. These are woodland inhabitants, not the nasty, invasive cockroaches that invade houses.
Siphonaptera ("wingless sucker") It is amazing how miserable something so small can make a dog feel. My parents' dog was plagued by these little critters just a couple of days after having a bath. They can live in the soil, so just one trip outside can re-infest an animal. The hind legs of a flea are incredibly powerful, allowing them to jump long distances. There are many species of fleas, each one being attracted to certain animals. However, a dog flea will happily eat human blood if necessary. A friend of mine once rescued an orphaned baby squirrel. I went to her house to see it and soon had small black specks on my ankles! Fleas are adapted to survive in their specific habitat by being flat-bodied and having stiff hairs, making them hard to dislodge when their unwilling host tries to nip at them.
