Hirudo medicinalis
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Hirudo medicinalis, or the European medicinal leech, is one of several species of leeches used as medicinal leeches.
Typical habitat with a large population, Germany
Treating mastitis of a cattle with leech
A caricature of a physician prescribing leeches for a weak, bedbound woman
Annelid
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The annelids, also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecologies – some in marine environments as distinct as tidal zones and hydrothermal vents, others in fresh water, and yet others in moist terrestrial environments.
This sabellid tubeworm is budding
Burgessochaeta setigera
Phylogenetic tree of early lophophorates