Flatworm (Freshwater free-living)

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:41:33 +0000

Freshwater free-living Flatworms are small animals with soft jelly-like bodies that are flattened and have no back bones or spinal columns. They are often referred to as ‘Planarians’. They can be found under rocks, logs and under piles of leaves in ditches, ponds, streams and lakes throughout England.

The length of these flatworms can vary from three to twenty-five millimetres and they can be transparent, white, grey, green, brown or black. They have two eye spots which can detect light and their mouths are on the underside of their bodies. Freshwater free-living Flatworms move by contracting their bodies and by beating tiny hairs that are located on their undersides.

A Freshwater free-living Flatworm can split its body into two halves if a part of its body gets injured and then it can grow each part again. This flatworm is also a ‘hermaphrodite’ which means it is both male and female. It grows eggs inside its body and then releases them in capsule forms onto plants and stones. After a couple of weeks the larvae hatch out of the eggs directly into the water where they develop into adult flatworms.

Leech (Medicinal)

Debbie — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:33:04 +0000

The Medicinal Leech is a blood-sucking worm with a flattened segmented body. It can be found scattered around England in muddy ponds and pools which have lots of waterweeds. It has its name the ‘Medicinal Leech' because for centuries it has been used for medicinal purposes, like for removing ‘bad blood’ or to ‘treat headaches’. Nowadays, it is mainly used to restore blood circulation after a patient has had a tissue graft or reconstructive surgery.

The Medicinal Leech is usually about eight centimetres long and has a dark brown or black body with orange-red lines running down it. Its body is divided into approximately thirty-four segments and it has five pairs of eyes situated on the first five segments. The Medicinal Leech has a ‘sucker’ at the end of its tail and one on its head. It uses the suckers to attach itself to an animal so it can suck some blood out of it. The sucker on the head surrounds the Medicinal Leech’s mouth which has three sets of jaws. The leech uses these jaws to bite into an animal and then releases saliva which can deaden the pain of the bite. When the Medicinal Leech has taken enough blood, it drops off into the water and it may not need to suck blood again for another six months.

Freshwater Worms

Flatworm (Freshwater free-living)

Leech (Medicinal)