Leech facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leech |
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Hirudo medicinalis sucking blood | |
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Helobdella sp. | |
Scientific classification ![]() |
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Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Annelida |
Class: | Clitellata |
Subclass: | Hirudinea Lamarck, 1818 |
Infraclasses | |
Acanthobdellidea |
Leeches are annelids, a kind of worm (ground creature) that lives in wet places. All leeches are carnivorous, that is, they eat mainly meat, but some are also haemophagic; this means they drink the blood of other animals. They are sometimes helpful in medicine. They are often used to reduce blood clots. They were used to suck the blood of patients a long time ago, before we knew about germs and that losing blood is bad for health.
- Sawyer, Roy T. 1986. Leech Biology and Behaviour. Vol 1-2. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Images for kids
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Leeches move by looping using their front and back suckers.
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Three leech doctors decide on bloodletting for their grasshopper patient. Lithograph by F.-J.-V. Broussais from a cartoon by J. J. Grandville, c. 1832
See also
In Spanish: Hirudinea para niños
National Hispanic Heritage Month on Kiddle
Renowned Hispanic scientists
![]() | Luis Walter Alvarez |
![]() | Francisco J. Ayala |
![]() | Baruj Benacerraf |
![]() | Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski |
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Leech Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.