Leech

What is a Leech?

Leech is a small, thin, cylindrical annelid worm that is common in freshwater habitats. It has a sucker at each end, which it uses to attach to a host or substrate. Leeches are bloodsuckers and use their sharp teeth to pierce the skin of their host. They consume blood, which they extract by contracting their pharynx (throat).

Structure of Leech

Leeches are annelid worms that belong to the class Hirudinea. They are mostly freshwater animals, but a few species occur in salt water. The body of a leech is divided into a number of segments, each of which has a pair of parapodia (limb-like structures) on each side. These parapodia are used for swimming and crawling.

The mouth of a leech is armed with a number of sharp teeth that are used for grasping prey. The leech’s digestive system consists of a simple stomach and a long intestine. The intestine is coiled up inside the body and it is here that the leech absorbs food from its prey.

Leeches have a three-chambered heart that pumps blood through the body. The blood is pumped from the heart to the head and then to the rest of the body. Leeches have a pair of kidneys that excrete waste products from the body. They also have a pair of reproductive organs, called ovaries and testes, that produce eggs and sperm.

Leech Anatomy

Leech anatomy is one of the most interesting in the animal kingdom. There are many different types of leeches, but all have some common features. Leeches have a long, thin body with a soft, fleshy head. They have no eyes, but they can sense light and dark. They also have no lungs, but they can breathe through their skin. Leeches have a suckers on both their head and their tail. They use these suckers to attach themselves to their prey or to a host. Leeches have a long, digestive tract that can stretch to up to ten times the length of their body. This digestive tract is filled with bacteria that help to break down food. Leeches can eat a wide variety of things, including blood, flesh, and plant matter.

Digestive System of Leeches

Leeches have a simple digestive system. They have a stomach, intestine and anus. The stomach is divided into two parts, the anterior and posterior stomachs. The anterior stomach is where the food is digested. The intestine is long and coiled. The anus is located at the end of the intestine.

Reproduction System of Leeches

Leeches are aquatic, blood-sucking animals. Reproduction in leeches is asexual, meaning that new leeches are not born from the mating of two parents. Instead, a new leech is born when a small portion of the body of an adult leech breaks off and grows into a new leech.

Excretory System of Leeches

Leeches possess an open circulatory system in which the blood flows through sinuses and vessels in the body cavity that are not enclosed by a blood vessel wall. The heart is a simple tube located in the front part of the body and the blood is pumped from the heart into the sinuses. Leeches do not have lungs and the blood in the sinuses exchanges gases with the surrounding water. Gases diffuse across the thin walls of the sinuses into and out of the blood. The blood in the sinuses also helps to circulate food and oxygen to all parts of the body.

The excretory system of leeches is very simple. There are no kidneys and the leeches simply excrete waste products directly into the surrounding water.

Type of Leeches

There are more than 650 species of leeches, of which only 30-40 species are bloodsucking. The best known bloodsucking leeches are Hirudo medicinalis (the medicinal leech), Haemadipsa sylvatica (the jungle leech) and Haemopis sanguisuga (the horse leech).

Did You Know?

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, with over a million described species.

A Brief Study on Leeches

Leeches have been used medicinally for centuries, and they are still used in some parts of the world today. Leeches are used to remove blood from a person or an animal. The leeches attach themselves to the person or animal and suck out the blood.