Horrifying Images Reveal Bizarre Parasite That Replaces Tongue of Its Fish Host and Feeds on Blood

Horrifying Images Reveal Bizarre Parasite That Replaces Tongue of Its Fish Host and Feeds on Blood

Source: newsweek

8/12/2020

A biologist made an unexpected discovery while researching fish heads—a bizarre parasitic crustacean that replaces the tongue of its host.

Kory Evans from Rice University in Houston spotted the strange parasite in an image of the skull of a herring cale—a species of ray-finned fish endemic to the waters off Australia.

Evans was scanning the fish as part of an ongoing project to study the 3D skull shape of wrasses—a group of nearly 500 marine fish species—using a technique known as micro-computed tomography (micro-CT).

Cicadas Emerge After 17 Years Underground, Bringing Killer Wasps
This Bizarre Parasitic 'Love Vine' Mummifies Wasps
This Parasitic, Stink Bug-Killing Wasp Has Been Named After Idris Elba

Newsweek subscription offers >

"Micro-CT scanning is basically a 3D X-ray that allows researchers to visualize the internal anatomy of organisms without the need for dissection," Evans told Newsweek. "So far we've scanned nearly 200 species.

"To compare shapes between specimens I placed digital landmarks at different points along the skull to allow for detailed comparison. I found the parasite while trying to place digital landmarks inside the mouth cavity of the fish.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
4026	Japanese firm designs portable fish tanks for seafood lovers to take their dinner home alive	dailymail	2021-05-09	JP
4027	Man fined for spearfishing blue groper	weeklytimesnow	2014-01-20	AU
4028	Something stinks in Lamma 'mystery' as hundreds of rotting dead fish wash up on beach	scmp	2014-01-15	HK
4029	Fish can eat flying birds, now, apparently	inquirer	2014-01-10	ZW
4030	Russia accuses Greenpeace of encouraging Senegal to seize trawler	theguardian	2014-01-09	UK
4031	Canadian seafood imports targeted by U.S. environmental group	CBC News	2014-01-07	CA
4032	6-year-old saves brother who nearly drowned in fish tank	KDKA / CBS NEWSPATH	2021-05-13	US
4033	Snorkeler Spots Man’s Lost Wedding Ring Wrapped Around Fish's Body in Australia	people	2021-05-12	AU
4034	Anglers get 'catch of a lifetime' near Anna Maria Island	wtsp	2021-05-14	US
4035	Scientist bleaches and dyes dead creatures to reveal their amazing inner anatomy	daily mail	2013-12-17	UK
4036	How the Cavefish Lost Its Eyes	gizmodo	2013-12-12	US
4037	Man catches 'prehistoric' fish on Caney Fork River	newschannel5	2021-05-10	US
4038	‘Bodacious’ Bahamas Fishing Trip Costs Florida Man His Boat Plus $25	cbslocal	2021-05-09	US
4039	This Parasite Eats a Fish's Tongue — And Takes Its Place	wired	2013-11-22	US
4040	'Cleaner fish' eat salmon parasites	BBC Scotland News	2013-11-19	UK
4041	Norwegian salmon farm offers bounty for escaped fish	aljazeera	2013-11-18	NO
4042	Bluefin tuna quota demand slammed by environmentalists	CBC News	2013-11-17	CA
4043	Arctic mystery fish identified	CBC News	2013-11-15	CA
4044	The four fish I would still eat – even after watching Seaspiracy	theguardian	2021-05-10	JP
4045	after 420 million years in the deeps, modern gillnets from shark fin trade drag coelacanths into the light	mongabay	2021-05-12	MG
4046	The Surprise Hiding in the DNA of Pet Fish	The Atlantic	2021-05-14	GE
4047	Man catches salmon weighing same as 7-year-old boy	itv	2013-11-13	UK
4048	Scientists Track Young Salmon's First Moves In The Ocean	underwatertimes	2013-11-11	US
4049	Cold-water fish food not adapting to a warming world, study says	nbcnews	2013-10-21	AU
4050	Thousands of dead fish found on Eastern Auckland coastline	nzherald	2021-04-28	NZ

161 of [223 - pages.]