Parasites are ecological dark matter – and they need protecting

This tongue-eating louse has parasitised its host, a small fish. The parasite makes the fish's tongue fall off, then replaces the tongue with its own body. ijimino / shutterstock

The two species of African rhinoceros are conservation icons. Large, charismatic, and vitally important for their ecosystems, to lose either species would be a devastating blow.

But what of their parasites? If the black and white rhinoceros went extinct, so too would four species of host-specific tick that call the rhinos their home – should we not also be worried about their extinction?