This unusual creature has a terrifying name. A person who first heard about a wood lice devouring the tongue will probably immediately imagine a real monster. The name is quite justified, but everything is not so scary. Want to learn about these amazing animals? Look for answers to all questions in our article.
Species
The scientific name for the tongue-eating woodlice is cymothoa exigua. These animals belong to the phylum Arthropoda and the class of higher crayfish. As you can see, the woodlice is related to the crayfish and shrimp we are used to.
The animal leads a parasitic lifestyle and can only live in the mouth of a fish.
Unusual way of parasitism
Explorers have always had a special interest in unusual creatures. In this regard, the woodlice - the devourer of the tongue is simply unique. No other living being behaves like this.
The parasite finds its host literally in the first days of life. It enters the oral cavity through the gill slits or directly through the mouth. With the help of sharp claws, an arthropodattaches to the tongue, digs into it, begins to suck out blood. In this case, the fish does not show concern. However, at this stage it is too early to talk about something unusual. Many parasites feed on the blood of their hosts.
The fun begins later. The tongue of the fish gradually atrophies until, bloodless, it dies off completely. But the woodlice will not abandon the fish, it will show a kind of fidelity until the end of its life. Moreover, over time, the body of the wood lice completely takes over all the functions of the language ruined by it. The fish does not feel discomfort, hunts, captures food and eats, as it was before the encounter with the parasite.
The arthropod does not pretend to catch fish and continues to be content with little - blood and mucus. Probably, the saliva of wood lice contains painkillers, because the fish does not feel pain. Some species eventually stop consuming blood altogether, being content with mucus alone.
Scientists studying the way of life of these creatures have found that in nature there are no cases when the wood lice would leave the owner and find another. She will stay with the fish until she dies of old age. In rare cases, biologists find two woodlice in the mouth of large fish, which coexist peacefully side by side. Even so, the fish feel fine.
After the death of a woodlice, the tongue of the fish is not restored. She has to adapt to do without him, and without the assistant who replaced him.
Appearance
The tongue-eating woodlouse looks like most members of the family. She hasan elongated, slightly flattened segmented body, similar to a cocoon, equipped with several pairs of small limbs. Ahead, a small head with a pair of dark eyes peeks out from under the shell. Closer examination reveals the mouthparts.
The woodlice are white or yellowish in color.
Distribution
Linguistic woodlice are found on the coast of the United States, mainly in California. Currently, scientists have no data on the expansion of the range. However, in 2005, this creature was found off the coast of Great Britain. Nothing like this has happened since then. Biologists believe that this was a one-time incident and the arthropod got so far into the mouth of the host fish (for example, snapper).
Reproduction
Female tongue-eating woodlice grow to 3.5 cm. Males are smaller, barely over 1.5 cm.
For reproduction, the male swims into the mouth of the fish in which the female lives. Arthropod lingo-eating crabs mate directly in the oral cavity. The female bears eggs in a special bag on her abdomen, and the born larvae immediately leave their "home" to go in search of host fish.
Tongue-eating woodlice in cinema
This unusual parasite has caught the attention of filmmakers. In 2012, the premiere of the American horror film "The Bay" took place, the plot of which revolves around a tongue-eating parasite. As conceived by the authors, the action takes place in a bay into which industrial waste is discharged. Environmental pollutioncaused mutations, and wood lice became dangerous to humans. Tongue eaters no longer hunt fish, they are interested in bigger game. The effect is enhanced by shots taken with an amateur camera - they make the film more realistic.
Danger to humans
Can history repeat itself in real life? Scientists say there is nothing to fear. Cancer-linguist is only interested in fish. In addition, he can only live in the aquatic environment.
However, the insidious woodlice may well bite into the finger, defending itself. Her bites are not dangerous, but quite painful. Yes, and there is nothing pleasant in such an acquaintance. Agree, the discovery of such a whitish surprise with eyes in the mouth of a caught fish can be a real shock. By the way, if a similar incident happens to you while fishing, you should not throw away the fish - it is suitable for food. But it is better not to get the parasite out of the mouth of the fish with bare hands. Fortunately, there are no such creatures in our reservoirs.
