Screenshots from the first conclusive videographic evidence that at least one leech species can jump, showing the leech coiling back before taking off. Credit: © Mai FahmyA study has documented terrestrial leeches jumping from leaves, exhibiting spring-like movements. This newfound behavior, observed in the Chtonobdella genus during Madagascar field studies, revises our understanding of leech mobility.
This video taken in Madagascar in 2017 shows a Chtonobdella leech taking a small jump followed by a big leap to the ground. Credit: © Mai Fahmycoiling back on a leaf and then taking off. Fahmy and coauthor Michael Tessler, an assistant professor at CUNY’s Medgar Evans College and a research associate at the Museum, compare this motion to a “back-bending cobra,” or to a spring being pulled back.
Understanding overall leech behavior is also important to conservation efforts because leeches—and more specifically, their blood meals—are increasingly being collected to survey vertebrate biodiversity. “If we can identify how leeches find and attach to hosts, we can better understand the results of their gut content analyses,” Fahmy said. “Leeches are also often overlooked and understudied, and, as a natural part of the ecosystem, leeches themselves may be in need of conservation protection.”Olympic Skiers and Snowboarders in China Are Competing on 100% Fake Snow – The Science of How It’s Made and How It Affects PerformanceSciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998.