Leech: Hirudo medicinalis - full after feasting on MY blood
Well, I was a little unsure whether JungleDragon wants photos like this - but the story behind it makes it worthwhile in my opinion. We were in an area notorious for leeches, Sinharaja NP in Sri Lanka. We arrived at our jungle lodge in the afternoon, and while my wife relaxed in the room, I slipped out to look for birds and insects in the lodge "garden". It had been raining and was very wet, but I wasn't really going through the vegetation and I had on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, so I wasn't paying too much attention to leeches. I came back and laid down for a nap, but when I woke up after about an hour, I felt something soft and warm on my leg that wasn't part of me. It was this fellow - now thick and fat with my precious blood! Although I was disgusted at first, it dropped off easily (luckily no need for matches or salt to remove it - it must have been full) and so I put it on a piece of paper and made this photograph. It didn't hurt and I never felt anything, but of course, leeches have anticoagulants in their saliva and the small wound bled all night long. The next morning, I was better prepared and used my alpine climbing gaters (plastic socks that cover the ankle from boot to knee - used in the mountains to keep snow out of your boots, they are also perfect for leeches) as well as light colored pants and although I attracted numerous leeches during the jungle trek, none got a bite. As I was heading out with the guide, a number of European tourists showed up in shorts and flip-flops - aah, it was fine dining for the leeches that day. As to the exact species - well this is really just a guess since leech identification to the species level is an area for experts, but it seemed like a reasonable guess!
''Hirudo medicinalis'', the European medicinal leech, is one of several species of leeches used as "medicinal leeches".
Other species of ''Hirudo'' sometimes also used as medicinal leeches include ''H. orientalis'', ''H. troctina'', and ''H. verbana''. The Mexican medical leech is ''Hirudinaria manillensis'', and the North American medical leech is ''Macrobdella decora''.
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Seems like another experience we share. We were covered in leeches in Sinharaja. Most we noted and easily removed, except for one that bit me in the stomach, which kept bleeding.
The thing I remember most about it is this. Whenever we found one on our clothing, we kind of flipped them of with our fingers. Giving how tiny these leeches were, severely wounding or killing them likely. Our guide, however, would gently pluck them from his clothes and then carefully put them on a leaf next to the path, giving them a second chance at their bloodsucking life. Now that's what I call respect for life. Posted 8 years ago, modified 8 years ago