Microscopic critters in Yellowstone snow resemble seeds on a bagel. What are they?
Black specks on white snow in Yellowstone National Park are not what they seem.
They’re not fallen “poppy seeds off your bagel,” but are instead microscopic, living critters, Yellowstone National Park rangers wrote on Instagram.
The animals are known as snow fleas, or springtails, and decorate the snow on warm winter days, the park said.
“These tiny animals live in the soil and eat leaf litter and other organic material,” the national park wrote.
During winter, they can be found on the “surface of the snow - sometimes in a dusting like pepper, sometimes in thick clumps,” according to park officials.
“They might be looking for food (poppy seeds, maybe?), but they haven’t been studied enough to know for sure,” wildlife officials said.
Despite their bug-like name, snow fleas are not classified as insects, according to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
“Like insects, snow fleas have six legs but researchers say that they are more closely related to crustaceans,” according to Farmers’ Almanac.
The creatures are also not parasitic, meaning pets are out of harm’s way, according to Farmers’ Almanac.
The critters got their name from both their flea-like appearance and “super-powered jumping,” Farmers’ Almanac said.
Snow fleas can be found blending in “amongst fallen leaves where they scavenge upon decaying materials and help with nutrient recycling” during non-winter months, according to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Microscopic critters in Yellowstone snow resemble seeds on a bagel. What are they?."
