The Alien Lives of Parasites:
Cymothoa exigua, a Crustacean, is the only known parasite that effectively replaces a body part. It makes its home in the mouth of a fish, where it feeds on blood until the tongue withers and dies. Attaching its body to the remaining stub, the parasite can now be manipulated by the fish as a functional new tongue.
hat tip: wtf_nature
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Parasites
4 comments:
An icky and happy creature! I like it.
Cute little booger, isn't she? Can't say as much for the host.
Having a living tongue might be kinda cool... for a short while, anyway. Getting there would suck, though.
Wow. . .that's. . .I'm speechless.
Any idea how long the fish can live with that thing in its mouth?
I also wonder if it drains the fish's blood to such a degree that eventually the fish dies.
Hi Todd,
I'm not certain. All I know is what I read on the site. I mean to look into it a little bit more, but I haven't yet.
Pretty gnarly, indeed. I will say that the fish in the photo doesn't look so healthy for the relationship.
Nature never ceases to blow my mind.
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