Parasite enters fish's mouth, eats its tongue and then replaces it

A post on social media showing a parasite entering a fish through its gills, eating its tongue, and then replacing it has stunned viewers online.

The tongue-eating louse, known as Cymothoa exigua, it is a parasite that belongs to the Cymothoidae (ectoparasite) family.

The parasite initially entering the fish through its gills then severs the blood vessels in the fish’s tongue which causes the tongue to fall off.

The parasite then attaches itself to the remaining section of the tongue and it becomes the fish’s new tongue.

The post, originally shared on Reddit has gone viral on social media, garnering over 5,000 upvotes and over 300 comments from users who mostly demonstrated their shock and fear of the grim creature.

The tongue-eating parasite has earlier been discovered in the UK in 2014 and 2015.