Previous sightings indicate that the behavior must have evolved in some terrestrial leeches. Sometimes, leeches fall onto their hosts, but the question among scientists was if leeches actually launched themselves or if they let gravity do all the work. The new video footage proves that the parasites do the former.
“Our observations establish that at least two terrestrial leeches possess the musculature, coordination, and inclination to execute a jump,” the researchers wrote in the study.
When the leeches quest, they search for heat or movement from a potential victim. They typically like to aim for the eyes.
Scientists like to capture leeches for samples of their bloodmeals, which can provide much information about the other animals in the rainforest.
The study was published in Biotropica.
