Bloodsucking Leeches

There are over 650 different types of leeches. And most want to suck your blood! These real-life vampires are nocturnal, like dark places, and only come out when they get thirsty! But can these bloodsuckers actually help humans? The ancient Egyptians may have been on to something! Readers learn about the habitats, history, and medical uses of the bloodsucking leech. Full-color photographs offer an up close view of these thirsty worms, and fact boxes share more details about their fascinating lives.

There are over 650 different types of leeches. And most want to suck your blood! These real-life vampires are nocturnal, like dark places, and only come out when they get thirsty! But can these bloodsuckers actually help humans? The ancient Egyptians may have been on to something! Readers learn about the habitats, history, and medical uses of the bloodsucking leech. Full-color photographs offer an up close view of these thirsty worms, and fact boxes share more details about their fascinating lives.

Learn about the natural habitat, physicl chacteristics, diet, and behavior of bloodsucking leeches.

Leonardo da Vinci once mused that “we know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot,” an observation that is as apt today as it was five hundred years ago. The biological world under our toes is often unexplored and unappreciated, yet it teems with life. In one square meter of earth, there lives trillions of bacteria, millions of nematodes, hundreds of thousands of mites, thousands of insects and worms, and hundreds of snails and slugs. But because of their location and size, many of these creatures are as unfamiliar and bizarre to us as anything found at the bottom of the ocean. Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred color illustrations and masterfully-rendered black and white drawings throughout, Life in the Soil invites naturalists and gardeners alike to dig in and discover the diverse community of creatures living in the dirt below us. Biologist and acclaimed natural history artist James B. Nardibegins with an introduction to soil ecosystems, revealing the unseen labors of underground organisms maintaining the rich fertility of the earth as they recycle nutrients between the living and mineral worlds. He then introduces readers to a dazzling array of creatures: wolf spiders with glowing red eyes, snails with 120 rows of teeth, and 10,000-year-old fungi, among others. Organized by taxon, Life in the Soil covers everything from slime molds and roundworms to woodlice and dung beetles, as well as vertebrates from salamanders to shrews. The book ultimately explores the crucial role of soil ecosystems in conserving the worlds above and below ground. A unique and illustrative introduction to the many unheralded creatures that inhabit our soils and shape our environment aboveground, Life in the Soil will inform and enrich the naturalist in all of us.

Explores the physiology, habitat, and past and present medical uses of a variety of leeches.

Examines such cold-blooded bloodsucking animals as the leech, lamprey, tick, and flea.

Readers will get an up-close and personal view of the creatures that might be crawling around their own bodies even as they read. Full of gross facts and creepy pictures, this book is sure to captivate reluctant readers. Sidebars and an additional resources section enrich the text.