You guys like leeches?

[dennilfloss]

I watched a National Geographic documentary tonight and the journalist & a researcher waded into an Amazonian swamp to attract some giant Amazon leeches (who normally feed on caimans and anacondas).

The giant Amazon leech can grow as large as the forearm of an adult human being.

On the show they mentioned a length of up to 16 inches. One such leech attached itself to the journalist's leg and started sucking his blood. He went ashore and the thing kinda contracted itself because it was out of the water. Well, it was as thick as a baseball in that state.

They showed how to gently remove it but the journalist found out that that kind of leech injects a proboscis like a flexible seringe that is about 3 inches long. They slowly drew the proboscis out and when it finally exited, the guy started really bleeding for a little while because of the anticoagulants secreted by the leech. The ones secreted by this particular leech are being studied in particular because they can actually dissolve blood clots and could therefore be used to treat stroke victims.

Pics:

http://www.britannica.com/EBch...tractable-proboscis-is
http://invertebrates.si.edu/Fe...ages/stories/leech.jpg
http://deeperwants.com/ratboys_anvil_2/giantleech.jpg

 

[Azraele]

Leeches have been used in medicine for a long time, but they are still ewwww.

 

[Paladin3]

I don't know about leeches, but every time I see one of your posts I have to play Cyndi Lauper+the red dress=:heart:! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[BabaBooey]

Like'em,I married one...

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: Paladin3
I don't know about leeches, but every time I see one of your posts I have to play Cyndi Lauper+the red dress=:heart:! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Cyndi's a gem.:heart:

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss
You guys like leeches?

Oh boy, do I ever!
Leeches are scary/creepy, but at least they're using them to advance medicine. Yay, leeches (but keep them away from me)!

 

[catnap1972]

HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

 

[eplebnista]

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

 

[MovingTarget]

Yay research!

:beer:

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

How does the next generation outdo that? Snake up the butt?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss
They showed how to gently remove it but the journalist found out that that kind of leech injects a proboscis like a flexible seringe that is about 3 inches long.

Holy cow! :shocked:

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

How the fuck is that even possible?! I was always told that there is no way a contact can slide up and behind your eyeball (one of my irrational fears, which is why i refuse to wear contacts). So if a contact cant, how can a bettle?

 

[Mr Pickles]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

How the fuck is that even possible?! I was always told that there is no way a contact can slide up and behind your eyeball (one of my irrational fears, which is why i refuse to wear contacts). So if a contact cant, how can a bettle?

Yeah I heard that too. Freaky stuff!

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

How does the next generation outdo that? Snake up the butt?

Close, but how about a fish up your penis?

Attacks on people

This fish is also known to attack humans and animals and swim into an orifice (the urethra, anus, or vagina).[4] Because of spines protruding from the fish, it is almost impossible to remove except through surgery.[8] Though there have been documented candiru attacks on humans,[9] there is no evidence the fish can survive once inside a human. The danger for the person lies more in the infection and shock that results from having the organism lodged in sensitive tissues for an extended period of time than from physical damage done by the actual fish itself.

The fish locates its human targets when people urinate near the fish. A well-circulated myth is that the candiru is capable of swimming up the stream of urine in mid-air to a victim standing on shore or a boat, although this assertion is false. Nonetheless, there was a case in which the victim claimed that the fish jumped while he was urinating thigh deep.[9] They are also probably not attracted to pure urine.[4] It is believed that they are able to enter a human urethra only when it is expanded during urination.[9]

A traditional cure involves the use of two plants, the jagua or jenipapo plant (Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. It is thought that these two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish.

Wiki

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: D1gger

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: eplebnista

Originally posted by: catnap1972
HELL NO!

Damn things keep sucking up my taxes.

THEY NEED TO GET A JOB!!!!

rof:laugh:

I don't like the actual ones either. I remember the scene from Stand By Me(the book) every time I see/hear the word leeches.

This actually happened to my neighbors teenage son. He was swimming in a pond and was horrified when he looked down and saw a leech attached to his privates. His dad has similar luck... When a beetle flew into his eye, it somehow managed to get lodged behind the eyeball.

How does the next generation outdo that? Snake up the butt?

Close, but how about a fish up your penis?

Attacks on people

This fish is also known to attack humans and animals and swim into an orifice (the urethra, anus, or vagina).[4] Because of spines protruding from the fish, it is almost impossible to remove except through surgery.[8] Though there have been documented candiru attacks on humans,[9] there is no evidence the fish can survive once inside a human. The danger for the person lies more in the infection and shock that results from having the organism lodged in sensitive tissues for an extended period of time than from physical damage done by the actual fish itself.

The fish locates its human targets when people urinate near the fish. A well-circulated myth is that the candiru is capable of swimming up the stream of urine in mid-air to a victim standing on shore or a boat, although this assertion is false. Nonetheless, there was a case in which the victim claimed that the fish jumped while he was urinating thigh deep.[9] They are also probably not attracted to pure urine.[4] It is believed that they are able to enter a human urethra only when it is expanded during urination.[9]

A traditional cure involves the use of two plants, the jagua or jenipapo plant (Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. It is thought that these two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish.

Wiki

:shocked:

*clutches wang dearly*

 

[LS21]

i just vomited