Fish Found With Parasite That Eats Its Tongue And Then Becomes Its Tongue

You’ve heard about a cat getting your tongue, but how about a tongue-eating louse?

The fish containing the parasite was found at Galveston Island State Park. Officials jokingly suggested on Facebook that the creature was a Martian before offering the true science surrounding the crustacean.

The parasite then survives in the fish’s mouth by feeding on the host animal’s mucus ― the only known example of a parasite replacing an organ of its host.

Although the animal’s modus operandi could be the stuff of nightmares, officials said in the Facebook post below that the tongue-eating louse “does not kill the fish or affect humans.”

So far, the reaction to the creepy creature can be summed by the person who remarked, “Thanks for the new nightmare material. The old monsters were getting kind of boring.”