Some of the living things that you find in running streams aren't all that cute.
We found this leech in a spring just near Running Stream.
Leeches love nothing better than to suck your blood. They don't hurt you because they use a natural anesthetic which means that you can't feel them when they latch on to you. They simply fall off when they've had their fill but you can just pull them off or use salt which they hate the taste off. But because they also secrete an anticoagulant enzyme into your blood stream, which makes your blood flow freely and not coagulate (or clot and stop), it means that blood often keeps flowing after the leech is removed.
All this means that you don't want to get them on you if you can avoid it. They really are quite revolting!
Have you had an experience with leeches? If so, let us know!
P.S four more sleeps until Christmas kids!
