A parasite that destroys a fish’s tongue and then takes over its place sounds almost impossible, but that is exactly what the tongue-eating louse is known for. Cymothoa exigua enters through a fish’s gills, cuts off the tongue’s blood supply and attaches itself to what remains.
The strange part is that the parasite does not simply kill its host. It stays where the tongue was and functions as a replacement, feeding on blood and mucus while the fish continues to eat, as per a report by Science Daily.
