I seriously thought this was satire

August 16, 2019 5:46 AM

New Leech Found in D.C.-Area Swamps "America has a new leech -- new to science, that is. In fact, the big orange-bellied bloodsucker has been lurking around the nation's capital all along..." I do get a science satire site in my RSS feed, so I initially thought this was from them. To my surprise, it's actually real.
posted by kathrynm (22 comments total)

When possible, she added, she will grab leeches out of the water before they bite, but some specimens still end up on her legs.

NOPE.
posted by Optamystic at 5:59 AM on August 16, 2019 [7 favorites]

Talk about Life imitating Art!
posted by Twain Device at 6:00 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Phillips and her colleagues found they could distinguish them by counting the body segments between a leech's genital openings and a set of pores that release mucus during sex.

Let no one tell you that science isn't sexy.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:07 AM on August 16, 2019 [9 favorites]

"You can just pull them off," said Phillips. "You don't have to burn them or salt them or do mean things to them."
posted by doctornemo at 6:47 AM on August 16, 2019 [4 favorites]

See How Leeches Can Be A Surgeon's Sidekick (SLYT).

Bloodletting in Capitol Hill or the White House? Nothing new here...
posted by cenoxo at 6:56 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

These were found in Charles County, MD, and they appear to range from Georgia to Long Island - the DC/swamp connection is clickbait.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:00 AM on August 16, 2019 [4 favorites]

the big orange-bellied bloodsucker

I can’t
posted by sallybrown at 7:00 AM on August 16, 2019 [12 favorites]

Macrobdella mimicus is a type of medicinal leech, meaning it will feed on humans

That seems an interesting way to define "medicinal"
posted by nubs at 7:32 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Medical applications for leech therapy

tl;dr--in the process of feeding on humans, they inject said humans with anticoagulants. Fair trade, really.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:44 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

I know about the medical uses of leeches, I just find it interesting that the definition of "medicinal leech" apparently means "feeds on humans".
posted by nubs at 7:48 AM on August 16, 2019 [3 favorites]

As opposed to veterinary leeches.
posted by ryanrs at 8:23 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

As opposed to Archie Leach, aka Cary Grant.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 8:45 AM on August 16, 2019

Weirdly, there's a Canadian connection to the story.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:46 AM on August 16, 2019

the DC/swamp connection is clickbait

More like tick bait, no?
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:51 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

As opposed to veterinary leeches.

I'm thinking the opposite of medicinal would be buying a bucket of recreational leeches on the black market when you're going to have a big party later that night.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:59 AM on August 16, 2019 [18 favorites]

Sounds like party favors for Vampires.
posted by aleph at 9:38 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

I just had to share this on FB - great discovery. Know how the scientists collect these guys? They wade bare-legged through the swamp and try to grab them before they latch on. But some still latch on.
posted by amartin at 9:40 AM on August 16, 2019

I hate Maryland, but I am actually excited about this as a wannabe naturalist. Like, I actually appreciate that Maryland has this to offer. Something about being reminded of the leeches in our swamps makes things seem a little more wild.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:01 AM on August 16, 2019

I came to mention Trump, in connection to orange bellied leech in DC. I see others were thinking similarly.
posted by evilDoug at 11:25 AM on August 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Leeches in Maryland (or any other state) will inevitably latch onto a host and make their way into DC.
posted by cenoxo at 11:38 AM on August 16, 2019 [2 favorites]

Having RTFA'd and read all the comments here, I'm still not sure it *isn't * satire.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:12 PM on August 16, 2019

These were found in Charles County, MD, and they appear to range from Georgia to Long Island - the DC/swamp connection is clickbait.

Nope. Georgia to Long Island is the range of M. Decora. These are M. mimicus a new species. They look similar to M. decora, but are genetically different and cannot cross breed. The scientists didn’t even know they were a separate species until they ran genetic tests on them.
posted by jmauro at 10:49 PM on August 16, 2019