Posted by Kath on February 28, 2009, at 17:15:41
In reply to Re: SNOW FLEAS? voting time/no checking online!! » Sigismund, posted by Kath on February 25, 2009, at 16:08:12
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't even believe it when my friend pointed to all these little black things on the snow - thousands of them & said she wondered if they were snow fleas. I thought "Give me a break!!!" But then as I watched - the moved!!!! Some wiggled; some jumped!!!
They're called Snow Fleas. They are actually a type of "springtail" insect. They're apparently the only insect that lives in the Arctic. They've apparently been around in one form or another for hundreds of millions of years!! (How they know that I don't know.) Hubby looked up online & said where they're found, there can be around 25-million to an area of 1 Hectare. 1 Hectare = 2.5 Acres.
They hatch in the forest earth apparently. They have an anti-freeze type protein in them that prevents crystal formation!
Isn't that too much!!! Today when we went for a walk we didn't see any. The trees last time were coniferous. Today they were mostly deciduous. Don't know if that's why none today.
It was fascinating seeing them & thinking "How the heck could ANYthing live in this COLDDDDDDDDD?!"
So THAT is the answer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_flea
If this link doesn't work, just type "snow fleas" into Google.
Hugs, Kath
poster:Kath
thread:881695
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20090226/msgs/883106.html