Cymothoa Exigua, aka the tongue-eating louse

Cymothoa Exigua, aka the tongue-eating louse, is a crustacean. This female parasite enters a fish through the gills. The parasite then replaces the fish’s tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The tongue-eating louse extracts blood through its claws, causing the tongue to atrophy from lack of blood. 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 fish. The louse mainly affects the red snapper, but also has been found in other fish species. The male tongue-eating louse can also change its self to female. The parasite is normally found off the coast of California, and Costa Rica.