Hi, on Point Podcast listeners, it's Magna Chakrabardi, your host, and we've got a special

first-person episode here.

Because on today's main show, we talked about parasites and the important role they play

in ecosystems around the world.

And there's one story in particular that we really wanted to share with you.

It's from Professor Nico Smith.

He specializes in aquatic parasitology at Northwest University in Pacha Strum South Africa.

And many years ago, while working on his PhD, Smith ran across something special in the

coastal waters of South Africa.

We found a new species of tongue replacement isopods.

So these are the isopods that go into the mouth of the fish.

They go and sit on the tongue.

They destroy the tongue of the fish and then they function as the fish's tongue.

And this is pretty amazing because it's only known in case in the world where a parasite

actually replaces a functional body part of an animal and then function as that body

part.

I have to say, my first response when seeing a photograph of this parasite was wow, because

it looks just like the fish's tongue, but with some eyes staring out of fish's mouth.

Now Nico Smith says that the fish and parasite can live together for many, many years, decades

even because the fish can't actually get rid of the parasite even if it wanted to.

The amazing thing about this is that the fish doesn't really then have a choice because

the parasite function as the tongue.

...