Cat Flea vs African Spider Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cat Flea African Spider Wasp
Scientific Name Ctenocephalides felis Hemipepsis capensis
Order Siphonaptera Hymenoptera
Family Pulicidae Pompilidae
Size 1.5-3 mm 30-50 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Blood Feeders Predators
Regions Worldwide Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cat Flea

The most common flea on both cats and dogs worldwide. Can jump up to 150 times its body length. A single female can produce up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.

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Did You Know?

Fleas can jump 150 times their body length — equivalent to a human leaping over a 75-story building. They achieve this using a pad of elastic protein called resilin.

African Spider Wasp

A very large blue-black wasp with bright orange wings that hunts baboon spiders. It is one of Africa's largest solitary wasps.

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Did You Know?

A single female can overpower and paralyze a baboon spider three times her own weight with a precisely placed sting.