It hums and growls… and jumps. Not all insects are able to fly. Some animals also move by jumping. Would you like to know more about this property? Then you are exactly right on this page. Here you will find everything you need to know about jumping insects.
The meadowfoam cicada can jump up to 70cm high
The flea
Clear the ring for the flea! With its amazing bounce, this pest could easily perform in the circus. He owes this ability to his powerful hind legs. For us humans, this is not so easy to imagine, since the insect is only one to four millimeters in size. However, the variety of varieties is all the greater. Around 2400 species exist worldwide. Of these, 80 species are common in Central Europe alone.
Another jumping insect genus is the louse. The best-known representative of its kind is probably the head louse. It stays just as small as the flea and has similar characteristics:
- The insects can sometimes jump up to a meter.
- They feed on animal and human blood.
- They are transmitted through close physical contact.
- Both species are parasites.
- They love moisture.
How to recognize fleas and lice
While the ability to jump great distances is a unique feature of the animal kingdom, you probably won't recognize fleas and lice by their jumping. The following symptoms are much more likely to occur:
- itching
- Small stitches on the skin, mostly linear
- Stitches can become inflamed
- Sometimes infests food
- Transmission of bacteria possible
The meadow foam cicada holds the world record
The flea is a true world champion in the long jump. However, when it comes to height, the meadowfoam planthopper, also a jumping insect, deserves the gold medal. She can jump up a full 70 cm. Compared to large mammals, that doesn't sound particularly impressive, but compared to the body dimensions of the meadowfoam planthopper, no animal (and certainly no human) can surpass it.
Incidentally, humans could jump a full 90 meters and 50 meters high if they had the muscular strength of these insects in their legs.