Leeches despite being 1-30cm long can be deadly bloodsucking killers if provoked enough. Some bloodsucking leeches use razor-like jaws to slit the skin of an animal. The host is usually oblivious to this attack because the leech secretes an anesthetic as well as an anticoagulant into the wound. The leech then sucks as much blood as it can hold, often more than ten times its own weight. After this gorging, a leech can last for months without another meal. It has a circular and longitudinal muscle layer, circular being the outermost muscle. in between them is the oblique muscle which is also found on humans near the stomach area. The dorsoventral muscle is the innermost layer of muscle within a leech. It is largely responsible for the posture of the leech and its locomotion activities of swimming and crawling.
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