Summary
A flea can leap 100 times its own height. Deep Look reveals that the secret isn't muscle alone — it's a springy, rubber-like pad in its legs that stores and releases energy in a flash.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+Mild peril
Deep Look films tiny creatures in extreme macro close-up, so a squeamish class may find this one intense — preview if that's a concern.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A flea's jump works like a loaded spring. A special stretchy pad in its legs is squeezed, then snaps back, launching the flea far faster than muscle could alone.
- What structure gives the flea its enormous jump?
- How is the flea's leg like a spring that is loaded and released?
- Why would jumping far help a flea survive?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: spring, energy, structure, launch.
Try it: Load a rubber band on your finger and let it fly. Write how the flea's leg pad stores energy the same way before a jump.