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Leeches1
Length:Size of a leech depends on the species. Some can reach 16 inches in length. Most leeches are usually 0.3 to 3 inches length.

Leeches

(Hirudinea)

Description:
Leeches belong to the phylum Annelida, which means they are closely related to the common earthworm. Their bodies are segmented into different parts, which can be summarized into head, mid‐body and tail. They have two suckers located at each end of the body: one to connect to other animals for feeding and the second which is only used for moving and erecting the body.

Did you know...?

The bite of a leech is actually not dangerous; sometimes people even attach leeches on their body on purpose for medical treatment.

Diet:
Some species of leeches will suck on to another animal and feed of its blood or haemolymph (the internal body fluid of invertebrate animals). However, most of the species live a predatory life, in which they actively hunt and eat small animals like insects, snails and other worms. Since they don’t have teeth to chew their food, they will swallow it in one piece.

Habitat:
The majority of the leech species are found in freshwater environments like swamps, rivers and ponds. Some species are able to live in marine habitats and some also occur in terrestrial habitats like the Khao Sok rainforest, provided that there is enough humidity.

Reproduction
Leeches are hermaphrodites, which means that each animal has both the female and also the male reproductive organs inside its body. When two leeches meet and they want to mate, they will choose themselves who is going to provide the sperm and who will provide the egg cells. They produce a large number of eggs and after fertilization the parent leech will either attach them to its body or produce a cocoon and attach it to a substrate and wait for the new leeches to hatch.

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