# What is the smallest animal that farts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287 "2023-11-17T11:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/21 "2023-11-19T05:50:06Z")
I once read a book about bubonic plague that included a picture of a researcher giving fleas the plague by administering Y. pestis enemas with microtubing. I couldn’t find it online. So, I’m going to assume that fleas fart. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/22 "2023-11-19T06:47:21Z")
Yeah. I’ve heard of them ‘flea farts’. They’ll clear a row in a theatre. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/23 "2023-11-19T15:54:19Z")
Paraphrasing an old George Carlin joke: “Do you know how you can tell when a fly farts? It moves in a straight line.” ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/24 "2023-11-19T16:38:56Z")
Small hijack, but do your stink bugs only stink when they are squished or do they stink other times? Stinkuses (that’s what we call them in our home) recently invaded Switzerland from Asia and the only time they smell bad is when we squash them (which we don’t do anymore). Actually they are kinda cute and I usually let them crawl onto my hand to take outside. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/25 "2023-11-19T16:45:14Z")
Apparently it’s a stress induced a smell. It’s a predator defense. I’ve only smelt them when they’re stepped on in my garage. It’s an amazingly effective method to smell so bad, at that size, that I can be grossed out approx. 5 ft up. One of my cats caught one once and immediately let go and sneezed several times. ETA, yeah we don’t kill them on purpose. I just sweep them out if I see them. I understand they can pinch or bite(not sure what you call it). And people can be very allergic to them. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/26 "2023-11-19T17:38:39Z")
Thanks. Good to know. Maybe I’ll stop licking them up. I have also found that vacuuming them with a Dustbuster is a humane way to catch them and they don’t seem to release their odor in there. But I guess if the scent is coming from the abdominal glands as they say, it doesn’t count as a fart. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/27 "2023-11-19T18:43:31Z")
😊don’t **lick** them at all!! ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/28 "2023-11-19T20:52:54Z")
Bleeech! The one time I didn’t proofread 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287/29 "2023-11-19T21:47:23Z")
I laughed. Thanks. 😊 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-smallest-animal-that-farts/993287.md?page=1)