Turtle leech
| Ozobranchus | |
|---|---|
| Ozobranchus jantseanus, length ca. 7mm. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea |
| Order: | Rhynchobdellida |
| Family: | Ozobranchidae Pinto, 1921 |
| Genus: | Ozobranchus Quatrefages, 1852 |
| Species | |
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Turtle leeches are a genus, Ozobranchus, of leeches (Hirudinea) that feed exclusively on the blood of turtles. Only two species—Ozobranchus margoi and Ozobranchus branchiatus—are found in the Atlantic coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. Little is known about these leeches due to difficulties in studying their sea turtle hosts.