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
1176	Wild salmon conservation group raises concerns about herring kills	msn	2023-12-06	CA
1177	SAIC secures funding for seven fish health projects	thefishsite	2023-12-07	US
1178	Advocates Say a Mexican Startup Is Illegally Selling a Health Drink	Associated Press	2023-12-07	MX
1179	Aucklanders ignore safety warnings, continuing to fish in the polluted Waitematā harbour	RNZ	2023-12-06	NZ
1180	Five Fishermen net $10,500 fine after catching 348 fish in Hauraki Gulf	nzherald	2023-10-08	NZ
1181	Major New Zealand salmon producer shuts farms as warming waters cause mass die-offs	theguardian	2022-05-26	NZ
1182	Overfishing and climate change impacts on New Zealand's fish populations were hidden	phys	2023-09-21	NZ
1183	Millions of dead fish have washed up in a river near an Australian town	CNN	2023-03-19	AU
1184	Britains fish populations are in a deeply troubling state	theguardian	2023-09-13	UK
1185	Has the Brexit fishing promise come true?	BBC News	2023-12-06	UK
1186	Electricity from electric eels may transfer genetic material to nearby animals	phys	2023-12-05	JP
1187	Is Norway’s farmed salmon as healthy as we think?	Radio Sweden	2019-06-13	NO
1188	Wild salmon conservation group raises concerns about herring kills at B.C. fish farms	yahoo	2023-12-05	US
1189	Fish such as the steelhead Crossword Clue	tryhardguides	2023-12-03	US
1190	Harmful ‘forever chemicals’ found in freshwater fish	yahoo	2023-12-01	US
1191	B.C. salmon farms linked to explosive spike in wild fish deaths	vancouverisawesome	2023-12-05	CA
1192	Advocates, salmon farm industry at odds over B.C. herring deaths	Global News	2023-12-05	CA
1193	How salmon fishing helped me embrace my Alaska Native identity	theguardian	2023-11-20	UK
1194	Fish out of water: North American drought bakes salmon	mongabay	2023-11-20	US
1195	Fish escapes death twice in 1 second -- from bird, lizard	upi	2023-11-20	UP
1196	2 rare baby mola fish spotted swimming together off Canada's Pacific coast	hindustantimes	2023-11-22	CA
1197	Terrible parents, skilled dancers, fearsome hunters	nst	2023-11-18	US
1198	Fishing mentors wanted for teens who would like to learn angling	ABC Central Victoria	2023-11-18	AU
1199	Wisconsin Wildlife Officials Capture 100s of Invasive Carp in Mississippi River	Associated Press	2023-12-04	US
1200	Осенняя заготовка налима	ohotniki	2023-12-03	RU