Finding leeches on aquatic turtles is pretty common, and I would venture to say that most adult freshwater turtles have at least one leech on them right now, perhaps even hundreds if you count their young. Quite often the leeches are just attached to the turtle’s shell where they are unable to feed, so until recently I just assumed the leeches were hitching a free ride on the turtles, much like the leeches I occasionally pluck off of my kayak. It turns out, however, that the leeches usually found on freshwater turtles, including the Wood Turtles I spend most of my time thinking about, are not attached to the turtles for pure convenience, but actually spend most of their lives on turtles, and even rear their young on them. Smooth Turtle Leeches, which are widespread through much of the Eastern United States, have been documented on most species of freshwater turtle within their range and, as their name suggests, feed almost exclusively on the blood of turtles. When the leeches feed they attach themselves to the flesh, but are careful to select locations where turtles would have great difficulty biting or scratching them off, such as the base of the tail or on the flesh behind the legs. Like other leeches, the Smooth Turtle Leech can also tolerate some exposure to the air, and on many occasions while measuring, weighing, and collecting other data on turtles, I have witnessed leeches on the turtle’s plastron or carapace move with deliberation to the edge of the shell and then behind the legs where they will remain moist long after the shell dries out. This trick would seem particularly useful on species such as Wood Turtles, which spend much more time out of water than most other turtles, even when they are staying close to streams.