• Question: what would a headlice look like under the microscope

    Asked by to Ditte on 20 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ditte Hedegaard

      Ditte Hedegaard answered on 20 Jun 2014:


      Lice are like wingless insects, which live off human blood. Because their survival dependence on humans they area type of insects called parasites. There are 3 different types of human lice; the head, the pubic and the body louse. I’ve tried having hair lice when I was younger and it is the most itching feeling ever! They are about 2-3mm long, so you can actually see them with the naked eye. When you just look at them they look like small beetles, but under the microscope they look like hairy monsters with claws on their feet. They use the claws to hold on to the hairs and can won’t fall off even if you swing your head around or wash it with shampoo. You can see a picture of the 3 different lice here. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/

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