Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing sand fleas. The name “flea” is not exactly the most welcomed name in most households; so it’s an unfortunate circumstance that the animals we’ll be discussing today were named “flea” not because they are ectoparasites to other animals but instead because they have some superb jumping skills. Now, of course, the common name “sand flea” can cause some confusion as it might be in reference to at least three different types of animals. One of these animals is legitimately a flea and not only can but also does bite humans. These have more commonly used common names, however, and aren’t the animals we’ll be discussing today - heck, they aren’t even closely related to the animals we’re talking about today. Fleas are insects, but the “sand fleas” we’re talking about are crustaceans. Of course, there are other crustaceans also known as sand fleas, but they’re more commonly known as sand crabs. And, because animal common names are full of ambiguity, the sand fleas discussed in this episode are also known as beach hoppers, sand hoppers, land hoppers, beach fleas, and lawn shrimp.

Lawn shrimp is a pretty apt common name because these animals look a lot like shrimp. They have two sets of antennae with one appearing much larger than the other, and while they may be white to pale shades of brown and green in color in life, they’ll often turn pink or red when they die. Sand fleas are some of the few crustaceans that have successfully colonized land, and, in fact, are some of the only animals that can be found from marine to freshwater as well as in intertidal areas as well as wholly terrestrial environments. Sand fleas live just about worldwide though they’re generally lacking from icy shores at high latitudes. These crustaceans are less abundant in tropical regions, with their greatest diversity in temperate zones. Many species are found in intertidal areas, specifically on sandy beaches, hence their common name, but there are other species that spend their time completely on land in forested habitats. These terrestrial sand fleas are almost exclusively found in the southern hemisphere particularly in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Though these terrestrial species can live without needing to specifically return to water, they do still require moisture in order to survive. Sand fleas commonly found on beaches generally come out at night and can often be seen hiding under debris or washed up seaweed bundles.

Sand fleas eat seaweed and decomposing organic material. They’re often used as an indicator if their habitats are healthy. In size, sand fleas range from 5 to 20 millimeters (which is less than an inch at full size) but they’re able to jump some insane distances. A single sand flea may be able to jump a height of one foot and a distance of over three feet! That would be like if Chester jumped about 25 feet high and 75 feet far in a single leap! Which would be like him jumping higher than a giraffe and as far as two buses. Which would be terrifying.

Most sand fleas only live about a year. Their eggs are brooded in pouches stored on the underside of the female’s body - not unlike lobsters! The eggs take about 1 to 3 weeks to hatch and the babies emerge looking like smaller versions of the adults. Most species only produce a single brood of eggs, but some may have more than ten in less than half a year!

For more facts on sand fleas, check out the link in the description. Thank you to Kamron for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!