Blood+Fluke


 * Phyla:** Platyhelimenthes




 * __Class:__** Trematoda


 * __Scientific Name:__** //Schistosoma mansoni//


 * __Size:__** up to 2 cm

__**Location:**__ worldwide; predominantly in South America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.


 * __Habitat:__** The larvae of this blood fluke live in freshwater snails & the adults live in the abdominal veins of mammals.


 * __Living Requirements:__** The //Schistosoma mansoni// tend to live in warm regions of the world. In order for them to survive, they target the fatty acids in the skin and penetrate the skin their host.


 * __Life Cycle:__** The eggs hatch in freshwater and develop into larvae and then penetrates the soft tissues of snails. After that, they turn into another type of larvae and find a second host which is usually a mammal. Once inside their host, the fluke travels toward the large intestine and lay eggs. This cycle starts over again after some of the eggs manage to leave the body and make their way back into the freshwaters.


 * __Male & female differences:__** Females are thin and about 1.3 to 2.5 cm long and the males are a bit shorter and thicker. You can tell the males apart from the females because they have spiny suckers on their mouth and stomach and their back is dotted with bump.


 * __Facts:__** Infection with the //Schistosoma mansoni// causes diseases in humans. Their color is white and they usually spend their lives attached to each other.





media type="youtube" key="3FxaQabjYLE" height="390" width="480"

media type="youtube" key="TI1BLXk7uiw" height="390" width="480"

Content retrieved from: [] ; [] Images retrieved from: [] ; [] ; [] Video retrieved from: [] ; []
 * Zookeeper: Shaiann Etwara**