October 15, 2009
So, the Professor of my Biodiversity and Evolution course gives us an “organism of the week” each week.  These organisms basically highlight how ridiculous life on earth really is.  So, I thought that I would share them with you guys. Organism of the week: Tongue Eating Isopod (Cymothoa exigua) - It is basically a large ocean dwelling roly poly (pill bug) -It has 7 pairs of legs, 2 antennae, and 4 jaws -They are parasitic -They feed on the blood in the tongues of fishes. Once the tongue is essentially destroyed by the isopod, it becomes a functional tongue for the fish.  That’s right, once it sucks all of the blood out of the tongue it BECOMES the tongue.  Crazy, right?

So, the Professor of my Biodiversity and Evolution course gives us an “organism of the week” each week.  These organisms basically highlight how ridiculous life on earth really is.  So, I thought that I would share them with you guys.

Organism of the week:

Tongue Eating Isopod (Cymothoa exigua)

- It is basically a large ocean dwelling roly poly (pill bug)

-It has 7 pairs of legs, 2 antennae, and 4 jaws

-They are parasitic

-They feed on the blood in the tongues of fishes. Once the tongue is essentially destroyed by the isopod, it becomes a functional tongue for the fish.  That’s right, once it sucks all of the blood out of the tongue it BECOMES the tongue.  Crazy, right?

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