
A parasitic crustacean called Cymothoa exigua enters a fish through the gills, causes most of its tongue to degenerate, and then attaches itself to the remaining stump, where it may serve as a mechanical replacement
Cymothoa exigua slips through a fish's gills, drains the blood vessels feeding the tongue until the organ withers away, and then hooks itself into the empty stump — the only known animal that functionally replaces a host organ.














