Anatomy

Close Up Of Head

     When you drop a flea from five feet, it does not die because the cat flea has an extremely strong exoskeleton and it is lightweight. Heavily armored plates protect its body parts. The head structure of the flea allows it to the move through fur and part the animals hairs for easy forward progress; it also inhibits the flea from backing on a fur producing animal. The exoskeleton is waterproof, shock resistant and able to survive high pressure at a 140 g's (gravity=10m/sec/sec). In order for the cat flea to get its food (blood), it punctures the skin to suck blood. The flea's eyes are not very useful but its antennae helps the flea detect movement and shapes. The antennae is what eyes are to us. The flea's thorax and abdomen have claws to hold onto its host.