Cat Flea vs Western Ground Squirrel Flea
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Cat Flea | Western Ground Squirrel Flea |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ctenocephalides felis | Oropsylla montana |
| Order | Siphonaptera | Siphonaptera |
| Family | Pulicidae | Ceratophyllidae |
| Size | 1.5-3 mm | 2-3 mm |
| Habitat | Underground | Grasslands |
| Diet | Blood Feeders | Blood Feeders |
| Regions | Worldwide | Western North America |
| 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.
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.
Western Ground Squirrel Flea
A flea found on ground squirrels and prairie dogs in western North America. It is an important vector of sylvatic plague in wild rodent populations.
Did You Know?
It is the primary flea responsible for maintaining plague in wild rodent populations across the American West.