Medicinal leech egg cocoon. Egg cocoon of the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) on a 50 pence coin. Leeches are parasites that feed on blood. They
Medicinal leech egg cocoon. Egg cocoon of the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) on a 50 pence coin. Leeches are parasites that feed on blood. They attach themselves to the skin using suckers (centre) and create a wound with three sharp jaw plates, which contain over 600 teeth. Their saliva contains hirudin, a chemical which prevents blood from clotting. A normal wound may bleed for up to 20 minutes before clotting, but a leech wound can bleed for up to 10 hours. Leeches are used in modern medicine to drain blood from haematomas (accumulations of blood) and to draw blood into transplanted tissues until circulation is established. Photographed at BioPharm Ltd, Wales, UK.
Size: 5364px × 3563px
Photo credit: © LOUISE MURRAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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