This is a leech. They like me a lot. When it rains and the leaf litter on the ground is moist, they are everywhere -- they crawl up your boot, down your leg, and bite you wherever they can find exposed skin. If they manage to make a cut, then they'll suck your blood until they're full, and then fall off in a food coma. Leeches have an enzyme in their mouth called hirudin, which causes the bite to bleed for much longer than a normal cut would. But leeches are pretty harmless otherwise -- if you get over the creepiness factor and their texture (slimy), they don't really do anything that bad. And if you want to spend any time in the jungle, I learned, you have to be able to cope with a couple of leech bites now and then. Just pull up your socks over your pants, tuck your shirt in (see below) and take plenty of leech checks on your way.
This is what happens when you don't tuck your shirt in:
No comments:
Post a Comment