Leeches

[firestag]

i like leeches i used to have some in our creek and i went in it alot and never got one on me

[Squawkbox]

We have them in the beck and they are all over you when you just ford it. They take forever to get off unless you have a lighter You just hold the flame near to them and they stop clinging on and so you can flick them back in the water for the next person to cross...which is usually you coming back ...aargh

[Linn]

I remember when I was a kid we used to jump off a bridge in Maine over a Kezar lake. there were leeches lurking in that water near the shore and my poor brother ALWAYS got one on him.
I never got one on me though.
uggg I do not like leeches icky

[Amrik]

That's okay Amrik, and Dr. Stein does that mean you will test them with me?! haha.

PS; has anyone seen Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events? You should watch it, it has killer leeches in it!

Yes i Have Seen IT. Killer Leeches!!!.

If any happens to know plz answer me. I want to know abt the life cycle of a leech.

Thx

[Amrik]

No one knows abt How Leech Reproduce and abt its life cycle??

[Dr.Stein]

Leech is Annelida (class Hirudinae), so it is oviparous so far I know like another annelids. You can check it on your Zoology book. I am a bit nervous to open chapters of worms

[laughingangel]

i dont realli know much bout leeches but wot do they do wen they stick on to ur body???? can sumone tell me plz

[Dr.Stein]

They suck your blood, they are living organisms that need to eat and fresh warm blood is their favorite menu

[Amrik]

If i get a chance to keep a leech as my pet i would give the leech my blood!!!(jus imagining how it would be...hehe)

[victor]

I guess you have to provide yourself with transfusion packs..

[Amrik]

I guess you have to provide yourself with transfusion packs..

Hehe mayb.......

[StoneWoman]

Okay, a few quick answers to the more important Leech questions...
Leeches have two "mouths"... they attach themselves by both ends. To remove, slide a fingernail under the smaller end and slowly work it loose. Once the smaller one is off, repeat for the larger one, but make sure you are keeping the other end busy so it doesn't re-attach. DO NOT YANK ON IT! It will "spit back" and introduce bacterial into the wound. Should you kill it before you get it off, you can also get a nasty infection. Destroy or let the leech go into the wild.
Clean the wounds immediatly. Soap and water, then I pour Hydrogen Peroxide into the wounds. (It will fizz and bubble, but it won't burn.) An antibacterial ointment is a good idea too.
One leech can eat (drink) 10 times it's weigh in a feeding. (About 5-6 teaspoons) Since the normal adult body has lots of blood... you won't die from a few leeches.) Also, there has been no evidence that leeches transmit diseases.
Leeches are hermaphrodites... they have both male and female reproduction organs. Two leeches can mate, and both will give birth. An adult leech will feed 3-4 times then die. They lay their eggs, which hatch, then roll themselves up into a cocoon, and break open this when they reach maturity. (Many of these answers can be found through a web search.)
Leeches have been used for centuries in medical practice, and we still use them today in micro-surgery. Maggots also are little medical wonders too... in people with gangrene, they will eat rotting flesh while leaving healthy flesh alone. They also secrete a kind of antibiotic while they are "working". Of course, these are sterile (clean) leeches and maggots, they raise them for this purpose.