Life Cycle of a Leech

1. Life Cycle of a Leech Ethan 3rd grade 2014

2. Adults lay hundreds of jelly-like eggs in a cocoon. They put the cocoons into the mud to protect the eggs from danger in the water.

3. The mother and father leave the eggs to hatch and live on for the rest of their life. Once the baby hatches, it is on his own. Each leech is a hermaphrodite, which means they are half girl and half boy. The boy half mates with the girl half.

4. Once the baby is born the leech looks like a young adult. One of the ways that it has to protect itself from danger is that they use their sucker mouths and grab onto the animal’s skin and suck the animal’s blood. They are also excellent swimmers. Their jaws have three blades to cut open the skin. Their mouths are Y-shaped.

5. HabitatLeeches live in the bottom of a lake, stream, or river where they can hide and be safe from dangers like fish, turtles and humans. This is how they protect themselves. Most leeches live in water but some live on land. ‘’

6. Once the leech grows up it has to mate. The cool thing is that it mates with itself. Because it’s half boy and half girl. An adult leech looks like a worm that grows over two inches long and is colored greenish brown with red spots all over it.

7. ReproducingOnce the leech has grown old it has to reproduce. Once it has reproduced it has to leave its babies and let the leech make the leech life cycle keep going.

8. Three Interesting Facts About Leeches Leeches have five eyes. Leeches are amphibians. They are related to earthworms.

9. THE END