Tranny Fluid Leak

There appears to be a leak at the rear of my truck's tranny where the driveshaft connects to it. The fluid isn't dripping onto the ground yet, but it is slinging some up underneath the truck. Is this something I should be concerned about?
I've also been hearing some odd and rather loud rattling noises, that I can't for the life of me pinpoint, when I first start driving, don't know if this could be related to the leak.........
 
Truck is a '94 1500 series with about 143,500 miles. Any input is appreciated!

is the truck an ext. cab? If so that rattle could be your carrier bearing.

Yes it is, meant to include that in my first post........

yeah i had the same rattle issue, put in a new carrier bearing and it fixed the rattle.

Any thoughts on the leak?

my only thought on that is the vibration caused by a bad carrier bearing might have caused the rear seal on your tranny to develope a small leak... anyone else with any thoughts? I say pull the drive shafts and inspect it all.

Yes I would check the rear seal on the tranny, and also replace the carrier bearing. But like he said inspect it all while you have it apart.

Sounds like you guys just about got it narrowed down. That would be the first thing I would check.