Thanks to the
BBC science and nature reporter Victoria Gill for noting the
Flea's jumping ability explained by Cambridge University scientists in the
Journal of Experimental Biology...
"It was known that the energy to catapult a flea over a distance up to 200 times its body length lay in a spring-like structure in its body. But scientists did not understand how they transferred this energy to the ground in order to jump. High-speed footage now reveals that the secret lies in the way fleas use their hind legs as multi-jointed levers. This "lever-effect" allows fleas to drive their feet onto the ground, and the sudden release of the "coiled spring" hurls the insect forwards and upwards."
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