You could get lucky and discover a new species. Observe and note any patterns, colouration and movement. In fact, you might want to leave it on while it feeds. Especially if you’re out in the wilderness.Įven after the long feeding session a leech only takes about 5-15ml of blood, depending on their size. More likely, you’ll just want to make sure the wound doesn’t get infected. Even then, reactions are not usually severe. The only concern really would be the rare instance where someone is allergic to the bite. The anticoagulant keeps the wound from closing, but it’s pretty small.Ī single leech isn’t a threat. They don’t burrow into your body or leave behind teeth, so removal isn’t really painful or risky. If you do notice a leech, you can just pull it off. They’ll often feed for 20 to 40+ minutes. The most likely reason you’d notice a leech is that its feeding session is pretty long.
Macy’s Day Parade balloon version of a leech. As well, without the anticoagulants in the leeches system, the drained blood would eventually clog up in them, puffing them up into a St. And the anticoagulants keep the blood flowing. The anesthetic keeps you from feeling the pain, people often don’t notice they’re bitten. Biting into their prey, they secrete anesthetics and anticoagulants into the body while simultaneously sucking out blood. They’re aquatic ninjas, sneaking up on unsuspecting prey. As we mentioned, they’re all about stealth. If a leech bites you, odds are you won’t even know. Of course, they won’t shy away from mammals given the opportunity. They prefer a stealth attack, so if you pick one up and put it on you it’s more likely to try and shuffle away.Īs well, their main target is usually frogs and other amphibians. Trying to force a leech to bite you can be difficult. The red worm feeds on its prey by swallowing it whole: Some species are even full-on vegan – eating decaying plants. Despite this, they’re hardly vicious animals. And of the 700+ species of leeches out there, the vast majority drink blood. Just about anything that drinks blood gets a bad name.
Woman applying medicinal leeches from Historia Medica, 1638Īll in all, what all these types of treatments throughout time have in common, is they rely on the leeches appetite for blood.Īre Leeches Actually Voracious Blood Suckers?
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