Speed and Reynolds Number of Jumping Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)

Using strobe-lit video, jumping cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), were observed tumbling, splaying their limbs, and landing in various orientations. Speeds averaged 3.6 m/sec, and ranged between 1.62 and 5.76 m/sec, 4 times faster than other fleas, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) and Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild). Average acceleration was -8.1${\rm m}/{\rm sec}^{2}$. Reynolds numbers were 730 and 240, twice that of other fleas.