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• rolph 2y ago
  {Leeches have a reputation for clinging stubbornly to their hosts, but one species has a more acrobatic side: It leaps through the air. The horrifying discovery was made by a pair of researchers during two trips to Madagascar in 2017 and 2023. Reporting today in Biotropica, the duo describes Chtonobdella fallax, a leech species common to the island, rearing back like a snake ready to strike before springing forward, straight-bodied, across a leaf or from a bush onto the ground. With three jumps in just two short recordings, the researchers say, the species is likely a frequent leaper—and executes the move gracefully, despite its clumsy landings. The debate over whether land-dwelling leeches can jump onto their hosts has festered for more than 130 years. Written accounts of the behavior date as far back as the 14th century. But with no hard evidence to those anecdotes, some experts have argued those leeches may have simply fallen from overhead or grabbed onto passing bodies from lofty, leafy perches. Now, scientists have the video to refute this. Whether leeches use their hops to land on hosts remains to be seen. But if they do, it could be a boon for biodiversity conservation. Scientists searching leech guts to unravel which animals they’ve fed on may interpret their findings differently if the slippery bloodsuckers can soar, painting a more accurate picture of animal communities in the creatures’ Indo-Pacific homes.}
  • sylware 2y ago
    thx