WIRED
Nov. 22, 2013
Absurd Creature of the Week: This Parasite Eats a Fish’s Tongue — And Takes Its Place
In the Gulf of California, there exists an unusual parasite called "Cymothoa exigua" that, as UA marine biologist Rick Brusca explains it, latches onto the tongue of a fish, then consumes the tongue, replacing it with its own body. This process provides the parasite with a new home, and the fish with a newly functioning tongue.