---
title: "North American Medicinal Leech"
description: "Macrobdella decora — Inne zwierzęta. Macrobdella decora, also known as the North American medicinal leech, is a species of leech found in much of eastern North America in freshwater habitats."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pl/animal/north-american-medicinal-leech
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# North American Medicinal Leech

> Macrobdella decora — Inne zwierzęta. Macrobdella decora, also known as the North American medicinal leech, is a species of leech found in much of eastern North America in freshwater habitats.

- Scientific name: *Macrobdella decora*
- Category: `other` (Inne zwierzęta)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Jeziora i rzeki)
- iNaturalist observations: 2306
- Wikidata: [Q5166955](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5166955)
- iNaturalist taxon: [244696](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/244696)

## Names

- en: North American Medicinal Leech
- de: Nordamerikanischer Blutegel
- fr: Sangsue à ventre rouge

## Countries with the most observations

CA (687), US (414)

## Summary

Macrobdella decora, also known as the North American medicinal leech, is a species of leech found in much of eastern North America in freshwater habitats. M. decora is a parasite of vertebrates, including humans, and an aquatic predator of eggs, larvae, and other invertebrates. It is a medium-sized leech with a spotted greenish-brown back and a reddish or orange underbelly with black spots. It has ten ocelli, or simple eyes, arranged in a horseshoe shape, as well as three long jaws. Internally, a pharynx takes up a tenth of its digestive tract; a stomach, the majority of its body length. The stomach connects to an…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobdella_decora

## Photo

![North American Medicinal Leech](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/north-american-medicinal-leech/medium.jpg)

Photo: Brighton Lee · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/301709925

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/north-american-medicinal-leech?lang=pl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).