Snow Fleas are not fleas, but tiny insects of several species that thrive on glaciers and snowbanks, feeding on even smaller specks of plant debris.
A common North American species, also found in Europe, is also called a scorpion fly.
It is only about a tenth of an inch long. Wings are vestigial or missing, and it resembles a grasshopper nymph.
A tiny wingless springtail also swarms on snow around the world, even in Antarctica. A springlike mechanism on the abdomen allows it to leap dozens of times its own length.
A stonefly that emerges in late winter is also sometimes called a snow flea.
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