Some Isopods are parasitic.
This is Cymothoa exigua, a parasitic isopod that has a nasty habit of attaching to fishes tongues.
This parasite enters fish through the gills, and then attaches itself at the base of the fish’s tongue. The female attaches to the tongue and the male attaches on the gill arches beneath and behind the female. Females are 8–29 millimetres (0.3–1.1 in) long and 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) in maximum width. Males are approximately 7.5–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide. It extracts blood through the claws on its front, causing the tongue to atrophy from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish’s tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue. It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish. Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, some feed on the host’s blood and many others feed on fish mucus. This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ. There are many species of Cymothoa, but only C. exigua is known to consume and replace its host’s tongue.
(Via Wikipedia)

Some Isopods are parasitic.

This is Cymothoa exigua, a parasitic isopod that has a nasty habit of attaching to fishes tongues.


This parasite enters fish through the gills, and then attaches itself at the base of the fish’s tongue. The female attaches to the tongue and the male attaches on the gill arches beneath and behind the female. Females are 8–29 millimetres (0.3–1.1 in) long and 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) in maximum width. Males are approximately 7.5–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide. It extracts blood through the claws on its front, causing the tongue to atrophy from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish’s tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue. It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish. Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, some feed on the host’s blood and many others feed on fish mucus. This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ. There are many species of Cymothoa, but only C. exigua is known to consume and replace its host’s tongue.

(Via Wikipedia)

  1. nanatranbanana reblogged this from to-be-put-to-sleep
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  7. silverspleen reblogged this from defilerwyrm and added:
    Man I remember when my boyfriend told me about this. I was like WHAT NO GOD NO PLEASE STOP. Might as well reblog this...
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  12. nostopshutup reblogged this from ezowolf and added:
    NO
  13. twilightmemories reblogged this from talikira and added:
    )8
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  15. dandelion-wino reblogged this from nightthorn
  16. nightthorn reblogged this from ezowolf
  17. kawro reblogged this from thesaura and added:
    Yeah.. I’m not going to eat fish again.. ever.
  18. thesaura reblogged this from ezowolf
  19. evander-conchobhar reblogged this from reblogs-cats
  20. reblogs-cats reblogged this from coffeeprost
  21. burnticeslushie reblogged this from talikira and added:
    Reminds me of the xenomorph’s tongue in Alien. =P
  22. newtitties reblogged this from scandals-r-us
  23. scandals-r-us reblogged this from talikira and added:
    Poor babies!!!! :c
  24. ezowolf reblogged this from coffeeprost and added:
    NOPE
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  28. brutal-pokemon reblogged this from coffeeprost and added:
    My goal in life is to catch a fish with this well not really a goal but I want it to happen
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  31. talikira reblogged this from dendroica and added:
    JESUS F’N CHRISTTHASKFLHDSKLGHADSKLGNHSADKLG
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  35. rainbowroach reblogged this from dendroica and added:
    Oh my god, This Book Is Full of Spiders is REAL.
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