Leech Feeding Time-Lapse

*Correction - this species shown is not Hirudo medicinalis but Hirudo verbana.* A 40 minute time lapse of a medicinal leech feeding. When this medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) bites into its host it releases a protein called hirudin which will prevent blood from clotting and keep blood flowing from the wound for hours. This is an important property in medicine which is why surgeons and doctors use it in surgery and medical treatments. Leeches can go for over a year without feeding, and when they feed th