The small isopod, also called ‘fish lice’ or ‘tongue-eating louse,’ paralyzes the fish’s tongue and sucks nutrients until it withers away.

The isopod belongs to the genus Cymthoa and was discovered inside a fish pulled from Australian waters.

The small isopod, also called ‘fish lice’ or ‘tongue-eating louse,’ paralyzes the fish’s tongue and sucks nutrients until it withers away.

The tongue eventually withers away and the isopod replaces it – acting as the fish’s acting tongue.

‘Though the isopod seems scary (in fact, it was the inspiration behind the 2012 horror film The Bay), little harm is done to the fish aside from the removal of its tongue,’ Evans shared in a blog post.

The tongue eventually withers away and the isopod replaces it – acting as the fish’s acting tongue.

The sea lampreys are described as a 'nuisance species' by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and survive by parasitizing other fish, attaching to their bodies and sucking out blood and other body fluids for sustenance.

The sea lampreys are described as a 'nuisance species' by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and survive by parasitizing other fish, attaching to their bodies and sucking out blood and other body fluids for sustenance .

The younger larval lampreys can spend as much as five years in a sedentary state, burrowed beneath the sandy river bottoms slowly filtering out small food particles form the water.

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