The replacement tongue
This is so awesomely disgustingly great I had to post it. There’s a louse that consumes a fish’s tongue and replaces it with itself. Cymothoa exigua was discovered inside the mouth of a red snapper bought from a London market. The louse had grabbed ahold of the tongue and slowly eaten it away until only a stub was left. It then latched onto the stub and became the fish’s tongue — getting a free meal after having fed on the tongue artery while it ate away.
Naturally, some crazy scientists are excited by the find, while the rest of the world remains disgusted. I’m intrigued: it’s certainly a novel idea, and quite frankly, I’m surprised something like this hasn’t been discovered before. The fish most likely came from California, but there is some confusion. Cymothoa was known to exist in the Gulf of California, but since it showed up in London, they’re not sure whether the fish was imported or the louse is simply expanding its territory. Cymothoa poses no danger to humans since it only attaches to fish tongues. Found attached to Lutjanus guttatus (a red or rose-spotted snapper, depending who you read), the parasite poses no danger to humans, but is pretty disgusting.
It enters through the fish’s gills and uses claws to attach itself to the base of the snapper’s tongue and survives by drinking blood from an artery. Once the tongue has been gotten rid of, it attaches itself as a new tongue, and manipulate’s the fish’s food and consumes the free food particles as the fish eats. Again, there is some confusion on what exactly happens: whether the louse eats the tongue, or simply causes it to atrophy due to blood loss, but the net effect is the same: the louse becomes the new tongue.
Imagine dicing up a fish for dinner and seeing one of these little monstrosities, eh? (Another larger image)
From Practical Fishkeeping, Discovery, and CBBC News.
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That’s so Extended Phenotype it’s not even funny.
Comment by Leo — September 17, 2005 @ 1:07 am
[...] A few days ago, I wrote about Cymothoa exigua, the tongue biters who strangle or eat (it’s still unclear) the tongues of their host fish, substituting themselves instead. But why stop at one tongue biter when you can have two? That page also has more pictures of normal fish tongues and other cutaway photos of the fish. [...]
Pingback by polyscience.org » Bullets: tongue biters, London crackheads, and the return to the moon — September 20, 2005 @ 9:26 am
Truly there must be other paracite encounters. do happen to have this on film or any sorts?
Comment by Mr. Schevel — November 4, 2005 @ 7:55 pm
[...] Este post me hizo acrodarme y ponerme a pensar en las cosas estpidas que mi pap ha dicho desde siempre. Puede ser que parezcan divertidas, pero luego de aos de ver que este seor es incapaz de decirlas de otra manera he llegado a preguntarme si alguna vez existi un mgico y lejano pas (quiz en la Atlntida?) donde se hablaba as. O tal vez estamos ante el surgimiento de una nueva lengua . Analicemos algunos ejemplos: [...]
Pingback by Kurazaybo jom peich » Lenguaje desarticulado — December 25, 2005 @ 9:52 pm
Cymothoa exigua – REPLACEMENT TONGUE…
http://polyscience.org/2005/09/cymothoa-exigua/
DEE…STCUSS…TING…
Trackback by tribe.net: polyscience.org — January 22, 2006 @ 4:17 pm
i dont understand where did the fish come from?
Comment by thomas — February 9, 2006 @ 10:08 pm
Las bogas de mar (Boops boops) y las obladas (oblada melanura) tienen en la boca el par?sito, a modo de pulga de mar,denominado cymothoa banesi
Comment by Ram?n Montenegro — June 19, 2006 @ 8:43 am
cool just fished today – and found this strange critter. kinda put me off eating them. from south of Spain
Comment by Ryan — October 7, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
i just found on inside the mouth of a yellow tail in Australia.
It is spreading fast!
Comment by brian — October 8, 2006 @ 9:49 am
ive seen these on a more than one occasion, fishing mainly for yellowtail and tailor. It appears to be quite common as ive seen two examples this week!
I remember seeing my first over 25 years ago.
Comment by mick — April 21, 2007 @ 5:22 am
I just removed one of these from a 5 inch piggy perch caught in the Packary Channel in Corpus Christi, TX USA on 9/7/2007. I’ve been seeing these in the mouths of perch in this area from time to time.
Comment by Michael Williamson — September 8, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Yum. I wonder what it tastes like. I hope I don’t pickup this fish in my dinner. – Eric Monse
Comment by Eric Monse — October 25, 2007 @ 8:08 am
[...] Link [...]
Pingback by BagOfNothing.com » Tempting Article/Picture of the day — October 25, 2007 @ 11:01 am
If the egg of the parasite is somehow attached on to the fish. What would the effect be if you ingested the egg? I think more research needs to be done on these parasites and how they reproduce. And the effects of the parasite born within a mammal (there’d be a different in the behavior of the parasite directly to humans and the effects of an egg would have on humans).
Comment by dampsapce — October 25, 2007 @ 11:27 am
I’ve seen this as well in perch. Great post.
Comment by The Smartest Man in the World — October 25, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
[...] you find nature fascinating and beautiful? sure, but what about this? [...]
Pingback by GOOFYBLOG » Blog Archive » Morning Cup - 10/25/2007 — October 25, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
I certainly haven’t seen one of these, and I have no desire to see one.
Comment by Mary — October 25, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
Fish have tongues!? Why? What do they have to talk about?
Comment by J — October 25, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
No, just think about biting into the fish and finding half of one of these delightfull creatures !
Comment by Ian.s — October 25, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
No evidence of evolution, huh?
Comment by Jared — October 25, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
[...] on food particles, relieving the stress on the host’s appropriated circulatory system. The replacement tongue [polyscience.org] : [...]
Pingback by ectoplasmosis » Icthyoid Alien — October 26, 2007 @ 9:59 am
Insect that replaces a tongue!!! Ugly!…
Insect that replaces a tongue!!! Ugly!…
Trackback by ekjut.com — October 26, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
Have seen this creature all over europe while fishing in Spain,
Italy and Croatia. First time I saw it was over 15 years ago.
Nothing new.
Comment by Michael — October 26, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
[...] The replacement tongue (tags: parasites biology fishes tongue) [...]
Pingback by this is another test » Blog Archive » links for 2007-10-27 — October 27, 2007 @ 11:17 am
[...] påtvingade symbioser, som denna (eller hajen med räkor i.st.f. ögon) är luriga att förklara m.h.a. “blind” evolution – http://polyscience.org/2005/09/cymothoa-exigua/ [...]
Pingback by light and breeezy.. don’t letitgodown, waevva.. « — October 28, 2007 @ 6:00 am
Very surprised.
Comment by japanese — October 31, 2007 @ 9:27 am
[...] See the following links: http://polyscience.org/2005/09/cymothoa-exigua/ [...]
Pingback by ThinkBlog » Identity Crisis — November 7, 2007 @ 8:11 am
I have found these in yellowtail snappers in Belize (Central America).
Comment by Dan Wold — November 18, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
I would like to see a continuation of the topic
Comment by Maximus — December 20, 2007 @ 6:26 am
I found one on a trevally (New south wales, Australia), I was wondering what the scrathing noise in my sink was :P
Comment by Jurn — January 26, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
[...] can’t be synthesized using some lipstick-related process? My guess: Put some lipstick on a Cymothoa exigua and you’ll get more stem cells than you know what to do [...]
Pingback by David Quigg: Is a Pig With Lipstick Really Still a Pig? | Cross Party Lines — September 10, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Just caught a Trevally at Queenscliff, victoria, with that louse. Pretty disgusting.
Comment by IC — October 19, 2008 @ 6:56 am
Just caught 4 trevally at St.Leonards, in Port Philip Bay,Victoria, Australia, all had this parasite. One of them is full term with hundreds of eggs. Freaky!
Comment by Geoff — December 21, 2008 @ 2:54 am
I also have caught a number of Slimy Macrel with the same parasite. Caught at St Georges Basin NSW Australia. Also a Leather Jacket with a large one burrowed under the skin. This one was engorged with eggs and was no were near the gills or tong?? Strange creature!!!!
Comment by Andrew Sinnott — January 8, 2009 @ 1:08 am
[...] Photo Source [...]
Pingback by » Blog Archive » Endless Forms Most Beautiful - Cymothoa exigua — February 1, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
[...] The replacement tongue — This has an out-of-this-world squick factor, but some cool biology. (Thanks to corwynofamber.) [...]
Pingback by [links] Link salad drives a hot rod Lincoln | jlake.com — February 19, 2009 @ 9:51 am
[...] replacement tongue The replacement tongue Filed under: Biology This is so awesomely disgustingly great I had to post it. Theres a louse [...]
Pingback by The replacement tongue - Bloodydecks.com — February 26, 2009 @ 8:32 pm
Glad I don’t eat Fish head (or fish for that matter)
Comment by Anon — February 28, 2009 @ 11:37 pm
[...] до колкото е известно не заразява хората :) Cymothoa exigua е малко ракообразно създание, което се промъква в през [...]
Pingback by 7-те най-ужасяващи паразити на планетата: Номер 2 | TechSoup — April 3, 2009 @ 10:41 am
[...] Cymothoa exigua is a tiny crustacean that sneaks up on a fish (specifically, a red snapper) and works its way in through the gills. Typical parasite behavior so far. [...]
Pingback by The 7 Most Horrifying Parasites on the Planet « storypress — April 17, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
Hey Guys, I live in Gold Coast in Australia… I see these things all the time when I go fishing at the Jetty. They are quite common, but only to a particular type of fish. Here the yellow tails have them… but only a particular yellow tail have them. It almost seems like these yellow tail likes to have them…
Comment by Jay Park — June 22, 2009 @ 8:35 am
[...] polyscience.org The replacement tongue __________________ [...]
Pingback by Cymothoa Exigua - horrific! - Where Responsible Reptile Keepers Connect! — June 23, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
I usually soak fish in vinegar and salt before cooking. When I went to dry the fish, I found this bugger in the head. Truly disgusted. I am not sure if I can eat it.
Comment by e — June 30, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
comment above by e…
I am from Maryland. This is the first time I have seen this. It was in the mouth of a red snapper.
Comment by e — June 30, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
That gives me nightmares!
Comment by Personal Trainer — August 14, 2009 @ 7:21 am
[...] de.wikipedia.org, polyscience.org Comment this! | Trackback! (Bisher keine Bewertungen)Tags: tier, wikipedia, wtf 0 [...]
Pingback by Parasitäre Ersatzzunge für Fische… | Unwohltaeter — September 11, 2009 @ 7:28 am
Found two in a 1kg Trevally caught in Queenscliff, Vic, Australia today. Both attached to the gills. One was really large, about half the size of a dim sim, the other was about the size of half my little finger. Freaking weird, ugly looking things.
Comment by oly — December 2, 2009 @ 7:59 am
In addition to my comment above, there is a description of this on the Victorian department of primary industries website. “The Doctor” LOL!
Look under “fishy fact” at the bottom:
http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nrenfaq.nsf/childdocs/-626A406A2AB2C9ABCA256EA700811FBF-B06A438CE0069508CA256C6F001F687E-5EBA1730BD5337E0CA2573D40000CF08-84099D7569CFECA3CA25747C00237C7B-7EEA768C4F074603CA25749800064D8A?open
Im glad im not a Trevally..
Comment by oly — December 2, 2009 @ 8:05 am
Found two in a small trevally I cought at Inverloch, Victoria on the weekend, one was large and where the tongue used to be, the other much smaller and in the gills, rather disgusting. The fish tasted fine though.
Comment by Tristan — February 3, 2010 @ 4:42 am
That is amazing I never seen something like that before. I think that is really awesome to see.
Comment by Abby Ruiz — February 5, 2010 @ 4:47 pm