10 Daily Things

Jungle John LaMedica sets a Guinness World Record for lying in a coffin with more than 20,000 live giant hissing cockroaches.

Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cymothoidae. It tends to be 3 to 4 cm long.

This parasite attaches itself at the base of the spotted rose snapper’s (Lutjanus guttatus) tongue, entering the fish’s mouth through its gills. It then proceeds to extract blood through the claws on its front three pairs of legs.

As the parasite grows, less and less blood reaches the tongue, and eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish’s tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue.

It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish. Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, some feed on the host’s blood and many others feed on fish mucus. They do not eat scraps of the fish’s food.

This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ.

PetZume.com is a social networking site specifically aimed to “create, share, and connect” with other pet owners. Upload photos or videos of your puppy or kitty or lizard for others to see. Watch videos posted by other members of the community. There is even a section called ‘Local Events’ that lists upcoming adoption drives that could be in your neighborhood. The site is pretty simple and itself is in its puppy stages as well, since not many folks belong yet. It doesn’t cost anything to join and could be a great place to socialize with other pet lovers because Facebook was soo last month already.

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