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When nightmares are real: Photo shows a parasite that ate – and then replaced – a fish's tongue

A Texas state park shared a seemingly unreal photo of a fish whose tongue was eaten by a parasite – and then the parasite replaced the organ altogether.

“MARTIAN SPOTTED AT GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK,” the park jokingly shared Tuesday on its Facebook page, admitting “Ok, so not really... but this is still pretty spooky!”

The park shared the photo of an Atlantic Croaker that was hosting a “parasitic isopod called a tongue-eating louse.”

“This parasite detaches the fish’s tongue, attaches itself to the fish’s mouth, and becomes its tongue. The parasite then feeds on the fish’s mucus,” the park explained in its post. “It also happens to be the only known case where a parasite functionally replaces a host’s organ.”

An Atlantic Croaker with a tongue-eating louse.
An Atlantic Croaker with a tongue-eating louse.

Mark Fisher, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's coastal fisheries science director, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the tongue-eating louse is common among some species of fish, like Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout and some snapper.

He noted that the parasite is related to the pill bugs, or rolly-polies, that one might find in their yard.

"It can be a surprise to peer into a fishes mouth and have another set of eyes looking back at you!" Fisher said.

Although the parasite could be a Halloween nightmare, it doesn’t kill the fish or impact humans, according to the state park.

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This isn’t the first time the bizarre parasite has garnered attention online. Last month, a TikTok user shared a video of other fish impacted by the parasite, joking that “If you think your life sucks, be glad you’re not this fish.”

The video has garnered 1.7 million views.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas park shares photo of a parasite that ate a fish's tongue