Leech
subclass of worms
A leech, plural leeches, is a kind of worm that live in wet areas. Some only live in water, but some, called terrestrial leeches, can live on land. Terrestrial leeches can only live in wet and humid areas.[1] Some leeches that live in water can swim.[2] Leeches have 34 connected parts, called segments, that make up the body.[2] Some leeches are predators, and eat other small animals, called invertebrates. Other leeches drink the blood of bigger animals, including humans.[3]
| Leech Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Hirudo medicinalis sucking blood | |
| |
| Helobdella sp. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea Lamarck, 1818 |
| Infraclasses | |
References
change
Wikispecies has information on: Hirudinea.
- ↑ Drinkwater, Rosie; Williamson, Joseph; Swinfield, Tom; Deere, Nicolas J.; Struebig, Matthew J.; Clare, Elizabeth L.; Coomes, David; Rossiter, Stephen J. (2019). "Occurrence of blood-feeding terrestrial leeches (Haemadipsidae) in a degraded forest ecosystem and their potential as ecological indicators". Biotropica. 52 (2): 302–312. doi:10.1111/btp.12686. ISSN 0006-3606. S2CID 201205936.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Leech | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ↑ Abdualkader, A. M.; Ghawi, A. M.; Alaama, M.; Awang, M.; Merzouk, A. (2013). "Leech Therapeutic Applications". Indian J Pharm Sci. 75 (2): 127–137. PMC 3757849. PMID 24019559.
