Watch leeches jump by coiling their bodies like cobras

Researchers have confirmed a centuries-old rumour that leeches can jump, which they may do to land their next blood meal.

For the first time, scientists have captured video of leeches leaping from leaves, settling a centuries-long dispute over the bloodsuckers’ ability to jump.

The question of whether leeches can jump has been debated since rumours of the behaviour emerged in the late 1800s. There have been occasional sightings since, but this is the first conclusive evidence.

Mai Fahmy at Fordham University in New York documented this ability in 2017 while doing fieldwork in Madagascar. During a hike, she encountered a Chtonobdella leech (Chtonobdella fallax) – an earthworm-sized animal that lives solely in Madagascar.

“I squatted next to it on the ground, and I took out my phone and started recording,” says Fahmy. “At the time, I didn’t realise what I had captured.” When she showed the video to her colleagues back in New York, Fahmy says they all had the same reaction: did that leech just jump?

Six years later, Fahmy returned to Madagascar to try to record another jumping leech and once again found quick success. This time, two leeches were interacting before one leapt from a leaf.

Mai Fahmy at Fordham University in New York documented this ability in 2017 while doing fieldwork in Madagascar. During a hike, she encountered a Chtonobdella leech (Chtonobdella fallax) – an earthworm-sized animal that lives solely in Madagascar.

“I squatted next to it on the ground, and I took out my phone and started recording,” says Fahmy. “At the time, I didn’t realise what I had captured.” When she showed the video to her colleagues back in New York, Fahmy says they all had the same reaction: did that leech just jump?

Six years later, Fahmy returned to Madagascar to try to record another jumping leech and once again found quick success. This time, two leeches were interacting before one leapt from a leaf