Meet the Cymothoa exigua.
Via mmajunkie.com
Some people call them tongue-eating louses, but that feels a little pejorative to me.
These lil' cuties belong to a family of creatures called parasitic crustaceans:
Via nemafrke.com
They're actually related to these guys, who you've maybe seen before:
(This cat has.)
(They're called isopods, btw, and I guess they're pretty into Doritos?)
Kinda adorable, in a weird way, right?
The Cymothoa exigua has sort of an interesting existence.
Via plus.google.com
You see, they crawl in through a fish's gills...
...work their way to the fish's mouth...
Via wellsphere.com
...EAT THE FISH'S TONGUE OUT OF ITS MOUTH...
Via mostrated.ru
...ATTACH THEMSELVES TO THE TINY NUB LEFT OVER...
Via plus.google.com
...AND BECOME THE FISH'S NEW TONGUE!
Via plus.google.com
THESE LITTLE DARLINGS ARE ALL TERRIFYING LITTLE TONGUE-BECOMERS!
Don't worry, though, they're not harmful to humans... YET!
Via urban75.net
Except, they apparently can bite, so be careful if you ever see one.
Via youtube.com
Which you may, because they do sometimes show up in the mouths of fish at supermarkets.
SWNS
Anyways, now you know they're a thing! Also, you're probably pretty aware of how your tongue feels in your mouth now, right? Neat!
Via giphy.com
