Fun Head Louse Facts For Kids

Head lice are obligate ectoparasites that live on humans. Their lifecycle only completes with human hosts. The head lice are found worldwide and can parasitize humans for prolonged periods of time. Head lice infestation is more commonly seen in unhygienic people, who do not change their clothes frequently. They feed on human blood and thus, cannot sustain for a long time without a host. The head lice spread is highly contagious and gets transferred easily from unclean clothes, combs, and towels.Head contact is the most common mode of spread of head lice. Adult lice can lay 80-100 eggs and even more. Lice eggs are called nits, which look just like sesame seeds. The lice eggs (nits) are seen to cling to the hair shaft, which results in immense itching and hair fall. Nits may result in complete hair thinning and damage. Several hair treatments are available to cure head lice infestation. Personal hygiene is considered to be the most important factor that needs to be adopted by everyone in order to stop the spread. Keep on reading to know more head louse information and the various treatments available.If you liked reading this article, then do check out mayfly facts and fly facts, here on Kidadl.

What do they prey on? Human blood

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 80-100

How much do they weigh? N/A

How long are they? 0.04-0.08 in (0.1-0.2 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Red, gray

Skin Type Exoskeleton

What were their main threats? Humans

What is their conservation status? Not Listed

Where you’ll find them? Human Body, Clothes

Locations Worldwide

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Pediculus

Class Insecta

Family Pediculidae

Head Louse Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a head louse?The head louse is an obligate ectoparasite that lives on human and feed on blood, in the same way as the ticks that parasitize dogs.What class of animal does a head louse belong to?Head louse belongs to the class Insecta, just like the ground spiders and forest cockroaches.How many head lice are there in the world?Although there is no specific record of the exact number of head lice that are found in the world, there are nearly 5000 species of lice that parasitize different mammals and birds.Where does a head louse live?The head louse is found to parasitize humans worldwide.What is a head louse’s habitat?The primary habitat of the head louse is human hair. Infestation is more commonly seen among school children. It takes about nine days to completely spread on the head. The lice and their eggs are seen clinging on hair shafts, which look just like a sesame seed. The scalp becomes white in color due to lice infestations. Close contact with the head causes the transmission of lice. The lice and their eggs are able to cling to the personal items like towels, clothes, and used hairbrushes of the host. School children face the highest chance of symptoms of head lice and their transmission.Who does head louse live with?Head lice live in groups and lay clusters of eggs. However, they are also found to be clinging to clothes, towels, and other personal items.How long does a head louse live?Adult lice have a life span of about 30 days on the head of the host. They sustain by constantly sucking blood from the scalp. They will die in one or two days if they can not get human blood.How do they reproduce?The adult lice reproduce by laying about 80-100 eggs on the head of the host. The eggs are called nits, which cling to the hair shaft. Nits are laid usually behind the ears or on the back of the head. Lice eggs hatch in about eight days. After that, they begin sucking blood from the host’s scalp. The head lice are tiny at first. Slowly, they develop in size and cling to the hair with the help of their suckers and hookers present all over their body. The head shaft becomes grayish-white in color and becomes weak due to the growing nits on them. Treatment should be adopted to get rid of head lice.What is their conservation status?The head lice species are Not Listed in the IUCN Red List. However, it is safe to assume that there is no threat to their population. Head Louse Fun FactsWhat does head louse look like?The head lice are small insects that look red in color. They parasitize the scalp and spread throughout the hair. Although the insect is small, it has a large abdomen that grows in size on sucking blood from that scalp. The legs have sharp hookers and claws that cling to the clothes and skin of the person and transmit from person to person. The lice do not possess wings but bear piercing mouths. The lice feed on the blood using these sharp mouthparts. The louse head is small compared to its body. They lay hundreds of eggs or nits. The lice may cause an allergic reaction among children and adult people that may lead to tremendous itching on the scalp. The nits are called redbacks because of their blood-red color. After completing the gestation period, they turn into gray color and are called graybacks.How cute are they?Head lice are not at all cute and spread from person to person via head contact or dirty clothes and other personal items. The scalp may become infected within a few days of infestation. Head louse control is absolutely necessary to get rid of them. Various treatment options are available to cure head lice.How do they communicate?No information is available on the mode of communication of head lice. However, just like other insects, they may communicate by chemical, sensory and tactile modes of communication.How big is a head louse?The head lice are about 0.04-0.08 in (0.1-0.2 cm) in length and are smaller than the wood tick.How fast can a head louse move?Head lice cling to the hair shaft and move with the help of the hookers and suckers present throughout the lice head and body. Head lice can crawl very quickly, though their exact speed is not recorded. They are unable to fly, unlike other insects.How much does a head louse weigh?Their weight has not been measured.What are the male and female names of the species?There are no sex-specific names given to the male and female head lice.What would you call a baby head louse?The baby head lice are called redbacks and the eggs are called nits.What do they eat?The head lice suck human blood from the scalp and cling to the hair, clothes, and personal items.Are they poisonous?Head lice are highly contagious and can lead to several infections on the scalp. Their infestation may lead to tremendous itching and hair fall.Would they make a good pet?Head lice are not kept as pets. They are parasites that cling to the hair and consume blood from the scalp.Did you know…Head lice infest clean hair more than dirty hair, where they get plenty of free space in the scalp to reproduce and lay eggs. Pets cannot get head lice and therefore, people get affected with head lice only from other people. The number of head lice found on a head usually carries.Every year, more than 12 million head lice cases are reported in the United States. Treatment options and the Centers For Disease Control recommend combing hair on a regular basis. It is also important to maintain good hygiene and use individual towels, combs and wash clothes on a regular basis. Another effective treatment is to get completely bald and get rid of all the infected hair at once.How to prevent head louse?To treat head lice is a difficult job. The signs and symptoms of a head lice infestation may be checked upon. Lice treatment is available that can help in reducing the signs and symptoms. Personal care products should be separated from the infected ones in order to stop the lice spread. Head louse shampoo with hot water can be an effective head louse treatment. Another head louse cure is having head louse medicine prescribed by a dermatologist. Home remedies are also available. Olive oil and tea tree oil can contribute to the head louse solution treatment. Centers for disease control are also trying to curb head lice transmission. Children get affected frequently. Dense and voluminous hair is the perfect place for the head lice, in which they lay hundreds of eggs.What is the life cycle of a head louse?The life cycle of head lice involves a human host. They parasitize the head of the host and spread throughout the hair. Transmission takes place by head contact and usage of personal products of the infected ones. If they do not get a human host, they will not be able to suck blood and therefore, won’t survive.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our Gulf fritillary butterfly facts and dragontail butterfly facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable lice coloring pages.Main image by Gilles San Martin

What type of animal is a head louse?

The head louse is an obligate ectoparasite that lives on human and feed on blood, in the same way as the ticks that parasitize dogs.

Fun Head Louse Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Human blood

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 80-100

How much do they weigh? N/A

How long are they? 0.04-0.08 in (0.1-0.2 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Red, gray

Skin Type Exoskeleton

What were their main threats? Humans

What is their conservation status? Not Listed

Where you’ll find them? Human Body, Clothes

Locations Worldwide

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Pediculus

Class Insecta

Family Pediculidae

Fun Head Louse Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Human blood

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 80-100

How much do they weigh? N/A

How long are they? 0.04-0.08 in (0.1-0.2 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Red, gray

Skin Type Exoskeleton

What were their main threats? Humans

What is their conservation status? Not Listed

Where you’ll find them? Human Body, Clothes

Locations Worldwide

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Pediculus

Class Insecta

Family Pediculidae

Fun Head Louse Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Human blood

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 80-100

How much do they weigh? N/A

How long are they? 0.04-0.08 in (0.1-0.2 cm)

How tall are they? N/A

What do they look like? Red, gray

Skin Type Exoskeleton

What were their main threats? Humans

What is their conservation status? Not Listed

Where you’ll find them? Human Body, Clothes

Locations Worldwide

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Pediculus

Class Insecta

Family Pediculidae