14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists writing in yesterday's issue of the journal Current Biology document the discovery of a 125-million-year-old fossil flea.
The fossil remains of this ancient pest were found in northeastern China. Specialists say that the species, which they named Saurophthyrus exquisitus, thrived during the Cretaceous Era.
It most likely used to feed on feathered dinosaurs, sources report. Unlike the fleas that bother us and our pets nowadays, representatives of this ancient species measured approximately 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) in length.
Their bodies were fitted with rather long tubes which the fleas used to suck the blood of the dinosaurs they wanted to feast on, and covered in bristles that made it easier for the pests to cling to their hosts.
Their legs were rather long, but not as long as those of modern fleas. Because of this, specialists suspect that these ancient parasites were not extraordinarily gifted at jumping.