Until now there were only anecdotes from locals, but now a research duo has been able to document for the first time that certain species of land leeches can actually jump. The scientists filmed the leeches jumping out of leaves in Madagascar (see video above).
Mai Fahmy of the American Museum of Natural History filmed the jumping leeches of the species Chtonobdella fallx during two expeditions to Madagascar in 2017 and 2023. “This is the first convincing evidence that leeches actively jump and expend energy in the process. Previous reports of leeches jumping on humans were mostly dismissed as accidental contact. Our study dispels these doubts,” says Fahmy.
Leech rears up like a snake
The now published images show the leech rearing up like a snake, ready to attack before lunging forward from the leaf. The species is likely a frequent jumper and performs the movement gracefully despite awkward landings, the researchers report in their study, which was recently published in the journal ‘Biotropica’.
Co-author Michael Tessler of CUNY’s Medgar Evers College compared the relatively slender leech’s movement to a “cobra bending backwards” and noted the leech’s stretched posture during flight. “We don’t know how often this occurs and whether the leeches use this ability to reach hosts.”
Several jumps documented
The fact that several jumps have been documented is an indication “that the behavior is common in this species,” Tessler says. The scientists write in the journal “Biotropica” that the animals have the muscles, coordination skills and the tendency to jump.
Madagascar is home to five percent of all animal and plant species worldwide. Nearly three-quarters of all species found there are found nowhere else outside the East African island.
Source: Krone
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