Medicinal Leech
Hirudo medicinalis
The medicinal leech inhabits shallow, vegetated freshwater ponds, marshes, and slow streams across parts of Europe. It waits in the water or among mud and plants, detecting nearby hosts through movement, warmth, and chemical cues. Adults feed mainly on the blood of mammals, amphibians, and other vertebrates, attaching with powerful suckers. Its saliva contains anticoagulants, including hirudin, which historically made this species important in medical bloodletting.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- NT