3 Jun 2022

Critter of the Week: The tongue louse!

From the collecton Critter of the Week

This week's critter is one of nature's weirdest creatures.

The tongue louse (Cymothoidae species) makes its forever home inside the mouth of a hapless host fish, cutting off the tongue and replacing it with, well, itself.

The parasite is found in several different fish species in New Zealand, peering out of their mouths with beady eyes.

Tongue eating louse parasitising a butterfish from Whenua hou

Photo: Guy McDonald, used with permission