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back to article GIANT blood-guzzling Jurassic fleas ambushed dino prey

Hollywood producers will be on high alert for the next Jurassic Park blockbuster script after boffins found fossils of giant prehistoric fleas. The monster bloodsuckers were thought to have used ruggedised straw-like mouths to prey on dinosaurs. In a study published on science journal Nature on Wednesday, University of Kansas …

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  1. Nigel 11
    IT Angle

    Not for the squeamish

    There are even bigger bloodsuckers still with us. Anyone squeamish is advised not to follow this link

    http://invertebrates.si.edu/Features/stories/haementeria.html

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    1. jungle_jim
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      Thumb Up

      Re: Not for the squeamish

      my arm has gone numb!

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    2. Silverburn
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      Happy

      Re: Not for the squeamish

      Nice.

      Question is though...how can you tell what type of lawyer this is? Given its veracity and fecal colour, this one has to be a patent lawyer.

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      1. Thomas 4
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        @Silverburn

        You do a great disservice here. Leeches have a useful place in modern medicine. I've still yet to find a use for a patent lawyer beyond target practice.

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    3. FredScummer
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      Alien

      Re: Not for the squeamish

      Used in modern medicine I believe, pretty much the same as maggots are.

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    4. Ageless Stranger
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      Re: Not for the squeamish

      They are called politicians. A name formed from the root words poly - meaning many and ticks - which are these so called blood sucking insects.

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    5. Severen
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      Coat

      Re: Not for the squeamish

      [Deuce Bigalow mode]

      "That's a huuuge leech!!"

      [\Deuce Bigalow mode]

      Mine's the one with the Rob Schneider DVDs in the pocket.

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    6. Armando 123
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      Re: Not for the squeamish

      Ya know, I first thought that was a VP at a former job.

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  2. John 110
    Meh

    prior art...

    "Poor Little Warrior!" Brian W. Aldiss 1958

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    1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
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      Re: prior art...

      Kudos, John - I was trying to recall the name of the story.

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  3. SW
    Meh

    Quote "double the size of today’s pesky critters"

    When was the last time you saw a 1cm long flea?

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    1. FredScummer
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      Terminator

      Double the size

      The OP is probably getting confused with bedbugs, which I believe can be up to about 1cm. They have a probiscus to obtain blood, and they don't jump either - they just crawl onto their host and then go off to sleep on their meal for months on end.

      Cue Rolf Harris singing "Tie me 2cm flea down, sport...".

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      1. Zaphod.Beeblebrox
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        Alert

        Re: Double the size

        The linked article says modern fleas range in size from 1mm to 10mm - I've met the 1mm version, and do NOT want to meet the 1cm version, much less the dinoflea that weighs in at 2cm. That's the stuff of nightmares...

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        1. SYNTAX__ERROR
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          Mushroom

          Re: Re: Double the size

          Hm, put another way, though - they are easier to find and kill and less likely to hitch unnoticed.

          Nuke 'em from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

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      2. Anonymous Coward
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        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Double the size

        In Oz, the fleas have legs like kangarooos, wings, and a fatal bite.

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