Leeches

Do leeches terrify anyone else here?

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To feed on their hosts, leeches use their anterior suckers to connect to hosts for feeding, and also release an anesthetic to prevent the hosts from feeling them.

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A leech attaches itself when it bites, and it will stay attached until it becomes full, at which point it falls off to digest. Due to the hirudin that leeches secrete, bites may bleed more than a normal wound after the leech is removed.

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An externally attached leech will detach and fall off on its own when it is satiated on blood, which may be anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours or more.

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Blood-sucking leeches suck your blood using two ways: they use a proboscis to puncture your skin, or they use their three jaws and millions of little teeth. Leeches find you by detecting skin oils, blood, heat, or even the carbon dioxide you breathe out.

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:stare:

Not really. They won't give me malaria unlike some other blood sucking creatures. :stare:

Lucky I live somewhere that doesn't have either.

I've developed a fondness for letting leeches finish their meal, and then squeezing them like a tube of toothpaste into my mouth with a mocking cry of "Thanks for doing the hard work for me, sucker!"

Yes because I was bit by one. This is why I'm afraid to go in any water that isn't clean or filtered.

I was sitting with my feet in the water once when one just swam right up and attached itself between my toes. It was kinda gross and creepy because it was tough to get it off (until I realised I could scrape it off), but other than that I don't mind them so much. Prefer them to mosquitoes because they don't leave a super annoying legacy after I get rid of them.

I went swimming once as a child and came out COVERED in leeches. I had at least 10 on me. I hate them so much now.

Millions of leeches, leeches for me

Leeches scare me D:

If they have those here, I have never seen one.

I am not going to go out of my way to don them like they're the big trend on Milan's fashion week runway... but I like them. They have a practical application in medicine returning/establishing blood flow to dismembered digits and other body parts.

I wouldn't make out with one but they aren't on my "critters we hates" list.

Leeches are pretty cool, actually. Especially when used for health purposes, like treating wounds. They can be useful in that way!

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Originally Posted by fire_of_avalon

I wouldn't make out with one but they aren't on my "critters we hates" list.

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This, basically. I'm far from fond of them, but I don't hate them as much as many other creatures (see: spiders, wasps).

poor Gendry

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Originally Posted by Denmark

poor Gendry

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Ha, that was my first thought upon seeing this thread, too.

They suck better than I do.

Seen as I am not having mash, I will be having baked beans, tinned, with my leeches.

Leeches are the worst. I hate even seeing them on TV. That scene in Game of Thrones was rough... They just had to get me all excited for the sexy part and then--BAM!--leeches! WTF!

I hate leechers more, really.

Hello fellas

Leeches are quite useful as far as medicine goes, as they are used to extract blood, for instance an hematoma, from areas that require non invasive tecnhiques, like an eye ball, etc

Cheers

I can think of more fun things to do than having a leech suck on my eyeball.

god in heaven

cannot unread

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Originally Posted by Mirage

I can think of more fun things to do than having a leech suck on my eyeball.

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yes... yes...they're quite versatile ! :jokey:

dude those things are smurfing boss

why i remember a time!

leeches

water!

a whole beach of em!

up to my eyeballs in that crap

waded through the sea...

and charged the smurfers for the price!

maaaaah blood.....

ooooooooh