From creatures that can cause gruesome deaths to others that functionally replace their
host's organs, here are 9 creepy parasites you'll never want to encounter:
Number 9 Tarantula Hawk Tarantula hawks are wasps that, much as their
name implies, mainly hunt tarantulas.
These creatures employ a particularly gruesome killing technique.
The tarantula hawk is known as a parasitoid wasp.
It will first grip the tarantula using the hooked claws at the end of its long legs.
Then the wasp will use its sting to paralyze its prey before dragging it to a specialized
brooding nest.
The wasp will then lay a single egg in the tarantula's abdomen and cover the entrance.
As the larva hatches, it enters the tarantula's body and begins to feed.
In order to keep the spider alive for as long as possible, the larva will typically avoid
its vital organs during its voracious feeding.
Ultimately, the wasp emerges from the spider's abdomen as an adult.
To humans, the sting of a tarantula hawk is incredibly painful.
Even though the most intense pain only last for about 5 to 7 minutes, it has been described
as 'blinding, fierce and shockingly electric'.
Unless an allergic reaction is triggered, the sting doesn't require any medical attention.
Due to the fact that tarantula hawks own extremely long stingers, few animals are able to consume
them.
Their reputation in the animal kingdom is so fierce that many predators give them a
wide berth and other insects, like beetles, moths, flies, other wasp species or bees,
mimic them for defensive purposes.
Number 8 Anelasma Squalicola Anelasma squalicola may be the only living
representative of a barnacle species that made the transition from filter-feeding to
parasitism.
This is evident in the fact that the cirri, structures once used for filtering food items,
are present but no longer serve a feeding function.
As a parasite, Anelasma extracts nutrition from its host through hidden tendrils that
extend downwards from its body.
Unlike most other barnacles, Anelasma squalicola doesn't have a shell.
These barnacles are usually found in pairs with their black-purple bodies protruding
from that of their host.
Anelasma attach themselves to several species of deep-sea dwelling sharks.
Castration is a common practice among parasites that attack invertebrates such as insects
or mollusks but it's much rarer when it comes to vertebrates.
For reasons that are yet unknown Anelasma seem to castrate their shark hosts.
Even though the tendrils the parasites extend don't reach the sharks' genitalia, Anelasma
seem to hinder sexual development in their hosts to the point of uselessness.
Number 7 Trebius Shiinoi Trebius Shiinoi larvae, which typically infect
Japanese angel sharks, will seek out the reproductive canal of a female host.
After creeping their way through the canal the larvae become permanently attached to
the inner lining of the host's uterus.
Trebius Shiinoi belongs to a broad category of parasitic crustaceans known as anchor worms.
Once such a parasite latches on to a host, it cements its head into the tissue and loses
all of its limbs.
It then starts maturing into a worm-like tassel which is soft and immobile.
While most anchor worms attach themselves to the outside of a host, there are certain
species that are more specialized.
They will become embedded in a fish's anus, mouth, gills or even the eyeballs.
Even those that attach themselves to the skin might still send a bloodsucking tendril into
a host's vital organ.
Number 6 Epioplasma Triquetra This freshwater mollusk is native to North
America, where it's listed as an endangered species.
In 2004 it was discovered that Epioplasma triquetra, also known as the snuffbox mollusk,
engages in a violent behavior when it spreads its larvae.
During the larval stage, these mollusks are known to use the skin, fins or gills of a
host fish for nutrients.
The creepiest part is how the larvae get onto the fish in the first place.
The female snuffbox will first lure unsuspecting fish to them.
Then, using its shell, lined with sharp little teeth, it will clamp down on the fish's
head and proceed to pump the larvae into its gills.
The common logperch is the mollusk's primary choice as host for its larvae because it's
the only fish tough enough to survive the violent encounter.
Number 5 Tapeworms Tapeworms have a well-earned reputation as
some of the worst parasites in the world, particularly for what they can do to humans.
The eggs of these intestinal parasites may be transmitted through soil or fecal matter
but most people usually swallow them through under-cooked meat.
Without sufficient heat to kill the tapeworm eggs, they can eventually make their way to
a human's digestive system.
Once there, the eggs hatch and the larvae become adults by feeding on nutrients in the
intestinal wall.
Some adult tapeworms are hermaphrodites they can produce more eggs.
The symptoms of tapeworm infection are often very difficult to detect.
That's why some may live inside the human body for decades, causing various conditions
including malnutrition and a bloated stomach.
During this time they can also grow to incredible lengths and there have been reports of tapeworms
extracted from human bodies that measured up to 30 feet from end to end.
Number 4 Macrocheles Rettenmeyeri This tiny mite is known for its rather fascinating
parasitic relationship with the army ant.
Macrocheles rettenmeyeri will attach itself to the leg of an army ant from which it steadily
sucks blood.
However, this doesn't mean the ant has lost the functioning of its leg.
The mite will use its own legs whenever pressed against a surface.
The mite doesn't disrupt its host as the main objective is to feed.
The parasite basically acts as a foot, albeit a slightly more effective one as it has eight
tiny feet at the end of it.
This might prove particularly useful for army ants, as they are known to create linking
structures with their bodies.
The mites were named after American biologist Carl Rettenmeyer, who was the first to study
them.
In his extensive work on parasitic mites living with ants, Rettenmeyer also observed other
mite species, some of which lived in the ants' eyes or at the base of their mandibles.
Number 3 Ribeiroia Flatworms from the Ribeiroia genus have been
linked with causing the development of limb malformations in toads, frogs and salamander
species.
Ribeiroia ondatrae cercariae, for example, are known to infect the developing limbs of
amphibians in their larval state.
They drill themselves into the buds that will eventually grow into legs.
This can cause horrible malformations which often consist of misshapen, extraneous members.
These malformations severely hinder the host's ability to swim or jump thus making them more
vulnerable towards predators.
However, amphibian larvae are only the second intermediate host for Ribeiroia parasites
as their life cycle involves a complex sequence in the food chain.
First, their free-swimming larvae will typically infect a freshwater snail.
Once this happens, they will develop into worm-like parasites which castrate the snail
as they feed on its reproductive tissue.
After about six weeks, they enter a second, free-swimming form called cercariae.
That's when they'll become attached to amphibian larvae or fish, where they enter
a dormant parasite form called metacercariae.
The fish or amphibian is then consumed by a bird or mammal, which becomes the parasitic
definitive host.
The parasite will emerge from its dormant stage and attach itself to the host's intestinal
tract where it will develop into an adult.
Number 2 Sacculina Carcini It's terrifying to imagine a parasite that
can do to humans the same things that Sacculina carcini does to the green crab.
This parasitic barnacle will find a way to enter a crab and proceed to move through its
insides.
While it's doing this it will release a sac on the underside of the crab's abdomen.
The remaining part of the parasite will develop into tendrils that grow throughout the crab's
insides, absorbing nourishment and controlling the crab's behavior.
It slows down the development of the crab's reproductive glands and can cause male crabs
to develop feminine characteristics, such as wider abdomens.
If the parasite is taken out of the host, females will normally regenerate their ovaries
but males start to develop ovarian tissue as sex reversal takes place.
Sacculina carcini eggs develop externally and the crabs will carry them around as if
they were their own brood.
The parasite manipulates the behavior of its host to the point that it no longer grows,
moults or regenerates lost limbs.
Number 1 Cymothoa Exigua Cymothoa exigua is probably the creepiest
parasite on this list.
It's among the few known parasitic creatures that functionally replace one of its host's
organs.
Cymothoa exigua will use its claws to latch on to a fish's tongue and slowly begin to
feed by severing blood vessels.
As it consumes all the blood in the tongue, the organ becomes atrophied and falls off.
The parasite then attaches itself to the remaining stub and functionally acts as the fish's
tongue.
From that point on Cymothoa exigua feeds on the blood of its host and fish mucus.
This reportedly doesn't cause much damage to the host.
However, fish that have one or more of these parasites, which also may attach themselves
to the gills, tend to be underweight.
Once its host dies, Cymothoa exigua leaves its mouth cavity and clings to the outside
of its body.
Not much is known about what happens to the parasite once it becomes completely detached.
Thanks for watching!
What other creepy parasites do you know?
Tell us about them in the comment section below!
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