Page 29 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

Amazing arthropods

The tongue-eating louse lives

in the mouths of fish – and
becomes their new tongue

This arthropod could be the only critter It then simply lays in wait to feed on
to assume the role of an animal’s body whatever the fish decides to gobble up,

part, but in doing so the tongue-eating although it can also feed on the fish’s

louse proves itself to be a gruesome blood. Remarkably, this does not harm
little parasite. Relying entirely on its host the fish even when, as is common, more

for food, it enters the mouth of a fish via than one louse is living inside its mouth;
the gills and attaches itself to the host’s the fish will continue to feed as normal.

tongue. By severing the blood vessels, When the host dies, the louse leaves the
it causes the tongue to fall out, at which mouth and attaches itself to the dead
point it makes itself the replacement. body instead.
TONGUE-EATING LOUSE
Cymothoa exigua
Class Malacostraca

Territory Eastern Pacific,
Madagascar, Red Sea
Diet Blood, diet of fish host

Lifespan Unknown
Adult weight Unknown
Conservation status
NOT EVALUATED

RIGHT The parasites are all born as
males, but as they enter a fi sh, they
become female and increase in size

© Alamy; Ardea; FLPA; Getty; Nature PL; Thinkstock

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