Is this the grossest parasite? - Niko Zlotnik

Get to know the parasite known as the tongue-eating louse, which eats the tongue of a fish and then takes its place permanently. -- The infamous tongue-eating louse is one of nearly 400 species belonging to a family of fish parasites. Some latch onto their host’s head, others suck blood from fish gills, and others still burrow into fish flesh. But the Cymothoa exigua goes specifically for fish tongues. How do these parasites do it, and why? Niko Zlotnik explores the strategies tongue biters use to find a fish to call home. Lesson by Niko Zlotnik, directed by Flaka Kokolli, Flammorum Animation Studio. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-us-ruin-your-day-with-this-tongue-eating-parasite-niko-zlotnik Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-us-ruin-your-day-with-this-tongue-eating-parasite-niko-zlotnik/digdeeper Animator's website: https://flammorum.com ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, and Jing Chen.