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Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annelida and comprise the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_(biology) Hirudinea.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Buchsbaum-1 Like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligochaeta, such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm, leeches share a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitellum and are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodite. Nevertheless, they differ from the oligochaetes in significant ways. For example, leeches do not have bristles and the external segmentation of their bodies does not correspond with the internal segmentation of their organs. Their bodies are much more solid as the spaces in their https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelom are dense with connective tissues. They also have two suckers, one at each end.
The majority of leeches live in freshwater environments, while some species can be found in terrestrialhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Notes_on_the_Feeding_of_Land_Leeches-2 and marine environments, as well. The best-known leeches, such as the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, arehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematophagous, feeding on vertebrate blood and invertebrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolymph.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Sawyer-3 Most leech species, however, are predatory, feeding primarily by swallowing other invertebrates. Almost 700 species of leeches are currently recognized, of which some 100 are marine, 90 terrestrial and the remainder freshwater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxa.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-4
Leeches, such as the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirudo_medicinalis, have been historically used in medicine to remove blood from patients.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Payton1-5 The practice of leeching can be traced to ancient India and Greece, and continued well into the 18th and 19th centuries in both Europe and North America. In modern times, leeches are used medically in procedures such as the reattachment of body parts and reconstructive and plastic surgeries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Adams-6 and, in Germany, treating osteoarthritis.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-teut-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-8
The majority of leeches live in freshwater environments, while some species can be found in terrestrialhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Notes_on_the_Feeding_of_Land_Leeches-2 and marine environments, as well. The best-known leeches, such as the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, arehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematophagous, feeding on vertebrate blood and invertebrate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolymph.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Sawyer-3 Most leech species, however, are predatory, feeding primarily by swallowing other invertebrates. Almost 700 species of leeches are currently recognized, of which some 100 are marine, 90 terrestrial and the remainder freshwater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxa.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-4
Leeches, such as the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirudo_medicinalis, have been historically used in medicine to remove blood from patients.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Payton1-5 The practice of leeching can be traced to ancient India and Greece, and continued well into the 18th and 19th centuries in both Europe and North America. In modern times, leeches are used medically in procedures such as the reattachment of body parts and reconstructive and plastic surgeries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-Adams-6 and, in Germany, treating osteoarthritis.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-teut-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech#cite_note-8