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Blue leech/slug, Bellavista, Ecuador Upon finding this, our guide Manuel Espejo mentioned that it's the first time in his life he's ever seen a leech. That surprised me, as he's a Colombia native spending a large part of his life in tropical forests. I'm not sure why they're so little seen or reported in this corner of the world. Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,South America,Spring,World Click/tap to enlarge

Blue leech/slug, Bellavista, Ecuador

Upon finding this, our guide Manuel Espejo mentioned that it's the first time in his life he's ever seen a leech. That surprised me, as he's a Colombia native spending a large part of his life in tropical forests. I'm not sure why they're so little seen or reported in this corner of the world.

    comments (8)

  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
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    Hmmm, could instead be a slug:
    https://pbase.com/splluk/image/142515196     Posted 3 years ago
    1. View Christine Young's profile
      Christine Young
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      Looks slugish to me ;) Posted 3 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
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        It came across as a leech to me, we even picked it up and the underside looked as such. Still, I do believe you're right. Posted 3 years ago
        1. View Christine Young's profile
          Christine Young
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          Honestly, I am rethinking. It does look more leech-like. Slugs would have tentacles and a foot (on their venter; it's how they move, I think), right? Leeches have sucker parts on both ends of their body, as the creature in your photo seems to have and looks like it is crawling using those suckers...as leeches do. Posted 3 years ago
          1. View Christine Young's profile
            Christine Young
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            But, the "slug" in that link really looks like yours too. So, hmm. Maybe the person who posted the photo on that website was just guessing?

            And, I am totally shocked that Manuel had never seen a leech before? I assumed leeches were common.
             Posted 3 years ago, modified 3 years ago
            1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
              Ferdy Christant
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              Yes, that's definitely odd. Still, on our 3 tours in Colombia we never saw a single one. Posted 3 years ago
          3. View Ferdy Christant's profile
            Ferdy Christant
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            Either of those thoughts could be right. My intuition and the actual experience tell me it was a leech, but I should have photographed the underside.

            In any case, if it is a leech, there's stunningly little info on them lol.             Posted 3 years ago
            1. View Christine Young's profile
              Christine Young
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              It's the prettiest potential leech I've ever seen. Posted 3 years ago

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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Dec 31, 2021. Captured Nov 6, 2021 21:34 in X8M9+JM Tandayapa, Ecuador.
country flag of Ecuador Explore Ecuador 1,787 846 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/16.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm

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