Carnivorous giant leech swallows toadlet whole in latest episode of Wild Isles
The baby toads have to cross a ‘killing zone’ haunted by carnivorous giant leeches which have a keen sense of smell and five pairs of eyes.
A giant leech lurking in the woodland undergrowth has been captured hunting baby toads and swallowing them whole in the latest footage set to feature in Sir David Attenborough’s Wild Isles series.
In the BBC One programme, the 96-year-old naturalist and broadcaster shines a light on the challenges affecting the British Isles and celebrates nature that exists on our doorsteps.
The penultimate episode of the series will take look a closer look at freshwater habitats and their inhabitants, which Sir David describes as the “lifeblood of our wild isles”.
The programme documents female toads migrating to freshwater to lay their eggs and a few months later the tiny toadlets have to make their way to their woodland home where they will spend most of their adult lives.
However, the baby toads have to cross a “killing zone” haunted by carnivorous giant leeches which can grow up to 15cm long and hunt using a “keen sense of smell and five pairs of eyes”.
