Do leeches have a preference?
So I did a hike in a forest infested with leeches. I ended up with quite a few leech bites (around 20). But, at the same time, another hiker got just one bite!
We both were wearing similar shoes, socks and trek suits. Hence, in theory we were pretty similar. Also, we did clean up the shoes/socks often. Yet, the number of leeches on me was way more than the one on the other trekker.
So what is it that attracts the leeches? Do they have a preference of going for a particular set of people? (Maybe driven by smell?).
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/4816. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Nah, AFAIK Leeches don't sniff/smell at all. Their main form of prey detection is thought to be by thermoreception, meaning Sensitivity to body heat, which is why warm blooded animals and mostly mammals are their preys. They do get attracted towards Water/Wetness. Though you are claiming to be having similar sort of a clothing, I believe you two must not have sweat in a similar amount. Leeches in India (where you trekked, I assume) are more of often found in Humid regions.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/4890. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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