Leech bite. Bite mark left in human skin by a medicinal leech,Hirudo medicinalis. The leech cuts through the skin using three jaw-plates. This causes the skin to peel back and allow the leech to drink blood from the wound. Its saliva contains a chemical,hirudin,which prevents blood from clotting. Other chemicals in the saliva anaesthetise the wound so that the victim may be unaware that they have been bitten. The leech drinks 10-15 millilitres (ml) of blood and drops off; a further 20-50 ml drips from the wound after the feeding. A single large meal of blood will feed a leech for six months | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Tompkinson, Geoff |
Taille de l’image : | 3758 px × 2617 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |