Monsters Inside Me : Ways Parasites Hijack Their Hosts : Animal Planet

5 Ways Parasites Hijack Their Hosts

By Robert Lamb, HowStuffWorks.com

HowStuffWorks

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4. I WANNA BE YOUR TONGUE

Let's say you want to embezzle funds from a company. One way to carry this plan out would be to establish yourself in a key position, close to the cash perhaps. If you want to do it in true Hollywood fashion, you might even try to put on a disguise and "replace" an employee who has ready access to the goods.

In the animal kingdom, one particular sea louse carries out just such a heist every day. Cymothoa exigua desperately wants a cut of the food going down a red snapper's throat. What better way is there to get it than to pose as the fish's own tongue?

This unscrupulous crustacean sneaks in through the gills and sets up shop on the host's taste buds. There's only so much room in a fish's mouth, so you can imagine what the louse's first meal is: a tasty helping of tongue juice. Once the louse drains the tongue of enough blood, it attaches to the atrophied stump and essentially becomes the snapper's new tongue. Every time the host opens its mouth for a meal, the louse helps slide the food home — taking a little for itself, of course.

Count down 5 ways parasites hijack their hosts:

5. The Hitchhiking Parasite If a parasite is just along for the ride, it will devise devious ways to make its way back home.		4. I Wanna Be Your Tongue If food is a primary goal, why not just take out your host's tongue and plant yourself in its place?
3. Crab Hacking Sailors don't have to worry about barnacles breaching the hull, crawling inside and taking control. Crabs unfortunately do.		2. Suicide Worms Those "voices" in your head compelling you to drown yourself? Could be molecules planted by Nematomorph hairworms.
1. Parasite Protectors What could be more devious than being used as a food source for a parasite's larvae? How about being programmed to protect the little ones after they hatch.

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