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#leech
hellsitegenetics · 2 days
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if it hasn't been asked already (sorry cannot figure out how to search)
chapter one of Alice in Wonderland: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-I.html
String identified: CATtatAcaggtgttttgttaaagtgtctcatttaagttactcattaattatgtActtctcatacgaacttaaatttaagaacatttgttgacgtaatattacTatgaatatActtcttatatatattaaaattgttatatccttatgttaatttattttatatattatactataatcttatcatctaattatActattttaactataaatttaatcatctaatcttattagtctaactattatatattttaagattgtatccgatcatttAcattccgtatgttagaTatttagtataattatAcatatttattgagattaattattatatataggtattttaatatacgtttatatatgtatttatctatttcaaataaactggtaataataaAGAAAttgatatttattttaagaagtttttcaaatttgtActatcaaatattgtgtaatatattaatgatttttcattactaaattaatgttgatcttatttattatAcaatatgtttcatgtatagttggatatttttagactctattatattgttacttatattgtgttAcaaatattagttttgttcgatatgaagaaagttgtatttctagttatattaaTAtattaatgatatgttattatatgttaatatattatctaaataaAtaaattctaacctgaagtgtatcaagtAatagatttgtagttaaatttTatgtAcgatagagaactgttaatcattacattataatTactaaatgtcatcaatatatatcatatatAAcgatgtatatagtaatacatatatcatatatatatatcatactattttcattcattttatagaatgtatataagaataaagtatattttataatttcaaatcaaataaAcatattattatttaaaaaatgaagattatatgtgtTatatttaatActaatttataattacaaattgttgactttcttatagtagacataaaggtTatattacaAcaataatttgaatgatgttagacaatttggtaaagatatgtctatgaActtgtatattgtgtttataattctagtatatataatttattctcaactaattcataattattcgttttgtcatgatgttttAcgtctaActatatttaaaagtcagtaaattaagtaagtttgaagtgtttataaaaatagtgtatctatctgtatgtaaagtgtgtActttttctatctctgattatgaaattatAcagtttattgaTtatgttttactttaaggtattataatattgtcttatttttcctaataAcatctttaaaattatttagttActagtttaatattttAcatggttatataattataaactttatcagttaatatataattgacattttatagttcatatatttgatatctgtataaagtttatcattatatctatagtattttataActttattagtctaactatactatctaaatttattttattatacgaActttgatcAtaatcgaacgtatttgttatatgtggtgtttttatgatatattaggtattattatttgtaActggtatgtacaattAttacattaacaattcatctagcatgAtagtattgacggttgaatctaaAcgtttagtttttgatactttatctactcttatgtgaatttctgttattataattttgttttgatacCtcgtataActataatattgagagactgtatcatgtatactgtaagcatagactaagagattccatgtttttgtActttttagttactaattgatatagttatataacactATatacatattaAcatagagcaactatagacacttagtttgaatcacaatatttaaatcacagattatcataggaatttatatattgaaatcatAcagtcttactgtgtttatgtatatttattgtcattatca
Closest match: Erpobdella octoculata genome assembly, chromosome: 7 Common name: Freshwater Leech
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(image source)
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sloppjockey · 5 months
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luch. gouache watercolor
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AHEEM AHEEM WHIMPER SAD PATHETIC BEAST.
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bogleech · 8 months
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Sorry if you think these are gross disgusting images or whatever but I did eventually give up feeding store bought pork blood to pet leeches because the bite is completely and utterly painless anyway and they don't carry diseases. The only risk is bacterial infection but that's rare and I just put a band-aid on the bite with antibiotic. I've done it off and on for six years but now it's the only way I feed them because I know it's safe for them, plus, they go six months to a year between eating. These photos are all the same leech after feeding for 20 minutes, and that is the same jar in the last two comparisons; they genuinely stretch out that much while they eat. Now over the next couple of days it will actually molt, shedding its skin in one piece, and get larger permanently. This species is Hirudinaria manillenses, the "Asian Buffalo leech," the second largest blood-drinking leech and the largest of the "jawed" leeches. The very largest blood drinking leech is a "proboscis leech" and I would not want to raise one of those this way because this is how a jawed leech (like mine) feeds:
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A TINY surface bite, by tiny little jaws at the center of the sucker
But this is how a "proboscis leech" feeds:
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Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I was actually fairly squeamish and afraid of bleeding before I got leeches, but I still hate needles. Getting blood drawn at the doctor is still a hundred times more noticeable than a giant jawed leech bite. I think a giant proboscis leech bite is probably worse than that, the proboscis is all covered in microscopic barbs I do believe.
This is what the proboscis leech looks like on a guy:
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I forget what that arrow is pointing to, possibly one of the pores used in mating? If you haven't seen it here's a little video I took of a baby manillensis swimming around in one of my huge jars:
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onenicebugperday · 1 year
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Asian striped land leech, Haemadipsa guangchuanensis, Haemadipsidae
Photo 1 by dhfischer, 2-3 by daver, 4-5 by bentsai, and 6-7 by albertkang
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mr-foods · 6 months
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generation x
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lichelet · 1 year
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dragonheadskilax · 7 months
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:)
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:D
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:3
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:V
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ajomagurd · 7 months
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Soooo, i got a pet leech.
His (their? Its?) Name is Larry. I got him from a swamp in Tacoma.
He seems like a *Placobdella* leech, usually feeding on snails and frogs. But i got him to feed on me.
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Here he is all stretched out, lounging.
The thing is, there are so few resources about how to care for leeches, especially of this variety. Does anyone know? Any fellow leech lovers on tumblr have any idea about what they need to be happy?
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invertebrates · 2 months
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finally, some good news about my state
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markscherz · 5 months
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Hi Dr Scherz, not a frog question but did you also interact with leeches in Madagascar? I heard they suck blood and live with frogs? 🧛
It's spoopy season, friends. Strap in.
Here's a teaser:
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Look how cute it is. How much panic could it really cause?
Read the tags before continuing. You have been warned.
So terrestrial leeches are very common at moderate elevations in Malagasy rainforests. The worst I have ever encountered was around 1200 m above sea level on Montagne d'Ambre in the north of Madagascar. I had been warned, but I was not prepared.
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On our first night at this elevation, we went out in search of reptiles and frogs and were absolutely besieged by leeches. Hundreds upon hundreds of them. Panic broke out, because you couldn't stop to flick them off onto the ground without having more make it onto you, and the people at the back of the line were picking up those that the leaders had flicked off. We ran back to camp.
In camp, the situation was not much better. Every now and then you would feel an itch and find a leech attached here or there. Small, but annoying, and itchy!
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Porters bringing supplies to camp arrived in their sport shorts with their legs completely coated in blood. Even the reptiles were beset by the leeches.
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Over the next few days, we managed to adjust, and to find solutions that helped reduce the leech burden. But our clothes were stained in blood, especially around the waist, where the leeches attach when they reach the top of your trousers. I preferred this to the alternative…
You can stop reading here if you are squeamish. Really. You might not want to know.
One night, working in a tiny forest fragment in northeastern Madagascar, my colleague Marius ran over to me and said 'I have something in my eye, can you check what it is?'. I turned my headtorch on his eye, and there was the black, glistening shape of a leech that had decided that today's meal of choice was sclera.
I had heard and read about this before. Colleagues working in southeastern Madagascar had told me horror stories. I had watched youtube videos about people getting leeches in their eyes. I was prepared with the bad news.
'You're going to have to leave it in,' I explained to Marius, trying to keep the panic from my voice. 'It will drop off by itself. You could really hurt your eye if you try to get it off.'
This did not have the desired effect. Marius and one of our guides exchanged a quick stream of Malagasy that I did not follow. Marius started pouring water into his eye, with no effect. Slowly, the guide began rolling up his zipper in the cloth of his coat, as I watched on, equal parts fascinated and horrified, emitting feeble protests of 'but I read on the internet…' and 'I really think you should leave it in…' (knowing in my heart that I would be doing exactly the same thing as Marius, were I in his situation).
I understood what was planned, and elected to help as best I could. While Marius knelt, I shone my headtorch into his eye. The guide crouched over him, and in one swift but firm movement, wiped the cloth-wrapped zipper over the leech. It came free, and out, and Marius blinked, dousing the eye in still more water.
Over the next days, I had several close encounters, catching leeches at my cheek or on my chin, almost as though they were targeting the eyes. Sometimes when I would go to check a random itch on my face, I would find a leech on my hand on the way up.
Since then, when I walk through a rainforest where I know there are leeches, my body is on a constant subconscious rhythm: check the sleeves, check the hands, use the hands to check the face, check the sleeves, check the hands, use the hands to check the face…
So far, I haven't had the misfortune to experience this myself, but having gotten to experience it second hand, that is quite enough for me, thank you very much.
I also realised that by having a tight seal between rain jacket and rain trousers, the face is the first target a leech might come to. This is why I no longer make this a tight connection, and welcome leech bites at the waistline. They are better than the alternative.
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sloppjockey · 1 year
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lambprey. gouache watercolor
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mashoeroom · 4 months
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Since my replacement tab wire finally arrived, this calls for a celebration art before proceeding to actual comm art
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tokumon · 6 months
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Hilguerrilla, a leech monster from Kamen Rider ep. 48
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scrunklestheminer · 1 year
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comically timed leechings are great
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belderchal · 1 month
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Fanart of Reach, a Yume Nikki fangame by @sais-scribble-corner
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