Patterned Chaos

Photo Feature

Cat got your tongue?
Cat got your tongue?: Not a cat, but a bizarre tongue-eating louse Cymothoa exigua has replaced the tongue of this clownfish. The parasite enters through the fish’s gills, attaches to the tongue, and begins to feed on the fish’s blood, causing the tongue to atrophy. Remarkably, the louse then anchors itself to the tongue stub’s muscles, effectively taking over the fish’s tongue. The fish continues using the parasite as it would its original tongue, and while the parasite feeds on blood or mucus, it doesn’t appear to harm the host in any other way. Cymothoa exigua is the only known parasite to fully replace the host organ it destroys. Photo: Digant Desai.

patterned chaos