Question

Leech secretes _______ as an anti-coagulant.

• A. heparin
• B. hirudin
• C. serotonin
• D. histamine

Answer 1

The correct option is B

hirudin

Leech belongs to class Hirudinea under phylum Annelida. To feed on their hosts, leeches use their anterior suckers to connect to hosts for feeding. Once attached, the leech uses a combination of mucus and suction to stay attached, and secretes an anticoagulant enzyme called hirudin, into the host's blood stream. Due to the hirudin secreted, bites may bleed more than a normal wound even after the leech is removed.