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The New Coffee Room

  1. TNCR
  2. General Discussion
  3. Cat got your tongue?

Cat got your tongue?

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  • MikM Offline
    MikM Offline
    Mik
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Did I say cat? I meant louse.

    The only parasite that functionally replaces an organ. The tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua) is one of the strangest and most disturbing parasites in the animal kingdom. It enters through the gills of a fish and attaches itself to the base of the tongue. It severs the blood vessels, causing the tongue to wither and fall off. Then it replaces the tongue, attaching itself to the stump and functioning like a prosthetic tongue. The fish can still eat and live normally—with the louse acting as its new tongue.

    alt text

    "You cannot subsidize irresponsibility and expect people to become more responsible." — Thomas Sowell

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    • AxtremusA Offline
      AxtremusA Offline
      Axtremus
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Hhmmm ….. imagine a parasite replacing one of your own organs and you go one “living normally.”

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      • jon-nycJ Offline
        jon-nycJ Offline
        jon-nyc
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Well, it did happen to our early ‘ancestors’ when mitochondria were engulfed by eukaryotic cells.

        But that seems less gross.

        Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.

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        • taiwan_girlT Offline
          taiwan_girlT Offline
          taiwan_girl
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          That is weird, and fascinating! LOL

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