The old saying goes “”Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.” But a new fossil from China’s rich Jurassic deposits has turned up fleas that go the other way, gigantum:

(Link) — The largest female fleas discovered measured 20.6 mm making them about 0.81-inch long … The super strong and large blood sucking mouths are puzzling the scientists because only small mammals existed during the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. Modern fleas only feed on furred and feathered animals leading the researchers to believe that these big insects fed on feathered dinosaurs. A number of feathered dinosaurs have been discovered in China.

 See the little critter over there to the right? It’s a modern human flea, but it’s been blown up for effect: that’s roughly how large these ancient mama bloodsuckers really were! How would you like to have a swarm of those little monsters crawling around on you, piercing your flesh for a refreshing drink? Speaking of which, maybe we can tap into the giant insect’s abdomen and extract some blood, and bingo, dino DNA! Now we just need some investors and a secluded tropical island where we can work quietly without being bothered …