Leech (Giant Microbes)

What better creature to feature for spooky season than a parasitic blood sucking worm with important ties to antiquated and horrifying medical practices? Although there are 680 described species of leech what we’re looking at today is the European medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) which is the species most used in medical practices, as both the common and scientific name suggest. Not surprisingly, kids aren’t too interested in playing with toy leeches, so there aren’t many of them. Of the plastic variety there’s only the Sbabam medicinal leech which is now out of production. That leaves us with a leech of the plush variety, this one by Giant Microbes.

The history of leeches in medicinal use is interesting but rather than get into it myself I’ll let the lengthy but informative tag that comes with the plush do the teaching. What the tag doesn’t mention is any of the natural history concerning the medicinal leech, so I’ll provide some brief information on that front.

The medicinal leech ranges across Europe and into Asia where it lives in freshwater ponds, pools, and ditches with an abundance of plant life and where it consumes the blood of various mammals, fishes, and amphibians. They have two suckers, one on each end. The posterior sucker is used for leverage while the other is the mouth. Medicinal leeches have three sharp-edged jaws used to cut into their host. They suck blood while injecting an anticoagulant known as hirudin. A single feeding can sustain a leech for several months or even up to a year. They can consume about 10 times their own body weight during a single feeding.

The medicinal leech is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to habitat loss and overharvesting during the 19^th century. Leeches were collected by the millions for medicinal use and catching them was as easy as dangling your feet in the water. Today medicinal leeches are protected throughout most of Europe.

The medicinal leech can reach a length of 7.8” (20 cm) while the Giant Microbes leech measures 9” (22 cm) which makes it not much longer than life size but it’s considerably more “stuffed” than an actual leech could get. Although, some leeches get larger than this plush, like the giant leech in the video that was making the rounds a few years ago because its owner was feeding it their own blood!

Since it’s basically a stuffed sock the Toy Microbes leech is pretty simple as toys go. The belly and dorsal stripe are felt, and the rest of the body is an elastic sock-like material. A suction cup is attached to the posterior end and is a fun little addition that gives the toy some extra milage.

The only hard bits are the two eyes in the form of little plastic beads sewn onto the head. In life the medicinal leech has five pairs of eyes. No attempt to been made to give the plush a mouth, or even another little suction cup on the front, which I feel like is a missed opportunity.

The plush is a rather colorful little fellow with a black body, brown underside, green dorsal stripe, and a yellow racing stripe on each flank. This is actually a pretty good approximation of the surprisingly colorful medicinal leech, although the addition of some red coloration along the sides would have been appreciated and made it more accurate to the real animal.

All Giant Microbe products I’ve seen or bought have been of high quality and it’s a company that I happily promote whenever the chance comes along. Although I don’t collect them there are a few around the house and I can attest to their quality. These are fun, quirky novelties, that make great gifts for scientifically curious children and adults alike. The leech is no exception and if you’re into leeches then it’s worth buying one and sticking it to your window. This plush is currently in production and widely available online for about $7.95.