THE ANIMAL FILES

Common liver fluke

Fasciola hepatica

A leaf-shaped body with an active outer coat.

The common liver fluke lives inside mammalian hosts. Suckers, a protective tegument and a network of water-regulating cells solve different problems.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Common liver fluke
Image: Flukeman · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Outline
Flattened, leaf-shaped body[1]
Attachment
Oral and ventral suckers[1]
Water balance
Flame cells and branching tubules[1]

Holding on

An oral sucker sits near the projecting front end, while a larger ventral sucker provides another attachment point. Both attach the flat, leaf-like body to surrounding surfaces; neither is a leg.[1]

A living interface

The tegument separates the fluke from its surroundings while also participating in nutrient uptake. Its outer region connects to deeper cell bodies, and the surface membrane is renewed.[1]

Managing extra water

Branching tubules join an excretory canal leading toward the rear opening. Associated flame cells have an important role in removing excess water, helping maintain water balance.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does living inside a host make a body surface unnecessary?

No. The tegument both protects the animal and participates in uptake. An internal habitat still contains challenges at the boundary between animal and environment.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why is “waste removal” an incomplete description of its flame cells?

Reveal the explanation

They also help remove excess water. The same branching system contributes to water balance, so its function concerns the internal environment as well as discarded substances.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Fasciola hepatica (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Fasciola hepatica (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Pork tapewormA ribbon-shaped animal with a journey between hosts.Taenia solium ↗Common earthwormA fallen leaf can travel down an earthworm’s burrow.Lumbricus terrestris ↗European medicinal leechTwo suckers, three jaws, and a meal that must stay liquid.Hirudo medicinalis ↗