The two researchers were invited by professor Karma Nanglu to examine the fossil because of their extensive experience with leeches. “There are videos on YouTube of leeches sucking all the liquid from a snail. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the experience of having a leech attached to you. It’s really fascinating,” says Iwama.
According to the researcher, these bloodsucking invertebrates feed only once a year and can live for three to four years in any humid environment. “You just don’t find them in icy places,” he adds with a smile.
Iwama notes, however, that when leech populations thrive in low-oxygen environments, their presence can indicate poor water quality. He also cautions against using leeches for any form of therapy outside a hospital setting. “It can actually be dangerous because if a leech is removed abruptly, it may regurgitate and transmit bacteria,” he warns.
The researcher adds that leeches are also valuable models in neuroscience research, as they possess a relatively small number of neurons, but of large size. “A few decades ago, several laboratories used this model because it allowed easy observation of nerve impulses traveling through the cells,” he explains.
According to Danielle Defaveri, another fascinating fact about leeches is that not all of them feed on blood. “Members of the genus Haemopis, for instance, prey on live animals – basically any small creature that can fit in their mouths – or on decomposing carcasses,” she says. “Meanwhile, species from the family Praobdellidae have been observed feeding on the body fluids of crabs, drawing from soft membrane areas between the plates of their exoskeleton”.
The article “The first leech body fossil predates estimated hirudinidan origins by 200 million years” can be read here.
More information: danielle.decarle@utoronto.ca, with Danielle de Carle; eiji.iwama@gmail.com, with Rafael Iwama; and karma.nanglu@ucr.edu, with Karma Nanglu
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
