Isn't nature marvelously horrific...

Paul H · Nov 25, 2009

2. The Spotted Rose Snapper Fish & Cymothoa exigua

The Spotted Rose Snapper Fish, which lives off the coast of California, is oft victim to a freaky parasite. The Cymothoa exigua parasite, a type of crustacean, swims into the fish’s mouth and attaches itself at the base of the poor Snappers tongue. It leeches blood from its victim and as it grows, the tongue withers and dies due to lack of blood supply. Eventually when the tongue dies completely, either diminishing or falling off, the parasite then switches places with the stump and acts as a working replacement for the organ, allowing the fish to use it just like a normal tongue.
The parasite spends the rest of its life living off both the fish’s blood and bits of food that enter the fish’s mouth. The Cymothoa exigua is the only parasite known to effectively replace part of an animal's body.

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · Nov 25, 2009

H.R. Giger, eat your heart (or tongue) out!

dezza · Nov 29, 2009

Nature red in tooth and claw is sometimes hard for townies to take.

My classic experience took place when I visited the Kruger National Park many years ago.

Me and the wife sat in the car watching a couple of lionesses stalk a zebra. Now those who have spent time in Africa will know that zebras are the lions favourite grub.

On this occasion a car pulled up next to mine, and it didn't take me long to realise that one of the passengers in the car was an American lady and at this stage, all she could keep saying was: "My God oh My God".

(Why is it that Americans must continually keep taking the Lords name in vain, yet in the same breath profess to be Christians?)

Anyway one of the lionesses grabbed the zebra by the throat, whilst the other decided to evicerate the zebra and eat the contents of its gut whilst it was still alive.

"Oh My God Oh My God" screamed the American woman - obviously a townie. "Can't someone stop it?"

slime monster · Nov 29, 2009

You do not need to go on safari to witness the cruel world of nature Ron ,I watched a Stoat hunting rabbits from their burrows while I fished ,it was relentless in its pursuit which climaxed in awful screams from the prey once found .until then I had not realised how large an animal these little hunters could tackle.

Ray Roberts · Nov 29, 2009

slime monster said:
I had not realised how large an animal these little hunters could tackle.

Ferrets are the same, I saw one tackle that TV presenter Richard Whitley once, it grabbed his thumb and hung on for grim death. I don't think it could have swallowed him though.

Andrew Macfarlane · Nov 29, 2009

Ray Roberts said:
Ferrets are the same, I saw one tackle that TV presenter Richard Whitley once, it grabbed his thumb and hung on for grim death. I don't think it could have swallowed him though.

Scarred me for life that did. I couldn't watch Countdown for fear of having nightmares

"Oh my Gawd, can't anyone do anything?"

Andy....

J K · Nov 29, 2009

Not near as gory as some but I was working by the side of the River Dee in Llangollen and there was a lot of Mummies with their little children feeding the ducks and ducklings.

When the children left the ducks started to break up from the feeding area and a gull swept down and picked up one of the duckling stragglers flew up quite high and dropped the poor unfortunate thing onto some rocks. As the duckling dropped the gull followed it down. When it landed so did the gull and promptly picked it up head first and swallowed it whole.

I wonder did the gull drop the duckling on purpose and what would the little children have made of it had they seen it?

dezza · Nov 29, 2009

Does anyone remember what happened at the ceremony when a seal was released after a major oil pollution clean up of the coast of Alaska.

A hord of tree huggers, animal rights supporters, and even Pamela Anderson from Peta had gathered on the beach wailing and whooping as American women seem to do when in a crowd.

The seal loped down the beach into the sea and swam out through the waves.

Waiting menacingly behind the third breaker was a large streamlined black and white shape; the tooth lined jaws closing in on the hapless seal, which was grabbed and flung skywards, the spumes from the breaker turning red.

Minutes later, the seal. still alive was being tossed from one craggy orcan maw to the other in an monstrous orgy of slow death; as the screams of the women and the hand wringing motions of Pamela Anderson made an eldritch scene against the red water of the sea.

Nobby C (ACA) · Nov 29, 2009

I was catching some type of wrasse off the pier in New Zealand and some of them had these grisly little critters on their tongues.

I prised them off and squashed them with my forceps.

preston96 · Nov 29, 2009

Is there not a microism that can swim up the urine flow of any mammal, humans included, and enter the body to reake havoke?

Ray Roberts · Nov 29, 2009

When I was a child I caught a small fish off of a pier in Jersey it had some type of parasite that looked a bit like a grasshopper, it's legs were embedded in the fishes head. I took it to a local museum and they researched it and said it was unusual as this kind of creature was usually found in warmer climates. I did look a bit creepy though.

Nobby C (ACA) · Nov 29, 2009

Paul Williams 11 said:
Is there not a microism that can swim up the urine flow of any mammal, humans included, and enter the body to reake havoke?

Yes Paul-the Candiru , if you watched Jeremy Wades series he interveiwed a an unfortunate soul who'd had this happen to him and the fish was eventually moved (crossing legs icon) and preserved.
It looked a lot larger than the average urethra.

You can watch it on ITV player, the series is called River Monsters.

coelacanth · Nov 29, 2009

Ron The Hat Clay said:
Minutes later, the seal. still alive was being tossed from one craggy orcan maw to the other in an monstrous orgy of slow death; as the screams of the women and the hand wringing motions of Pamela Anderson made an eldritch scene against the red water of the sea.

Myth. Some versions have one or more seals falling prey to one or more Orca, others have one or more sea otters involved. Just a story intended to ridicule the efforts of animal rehab centres.

preston96 · Nov 29, 2009

Coelacanth said:
Myth. Some versions have one or more seals falling prey to one or more Orca, others have one or more sea otters involved. Just a story intended to ridicule the efforts of animal rehab centres.

So are you saying seals are not part of the Killer Whales diet?

coelacanth · Nov 29, 2009

Paul Williams 11 said:
So are you saying seals are not part of the Killer Whales diet?

No, of course I'm not, quite obviously. This particular story is a myth.

preston96 · Nov 29, 2009

Coelacanth said:
No, of course I'm not, quite obviously. This particular story is a myth.

you sure?.... and even if it is a myth, the moral is true!

coelacanth · Nov 29, 2009

Paul Williams 11 said:
you sure?.... and even if it is a myth, the moral is true!

OK it's true then, it happened, it cost $80,000/$90,0000/$fillinnumberofyourchoice to rehabilitate that one (or more) otter/seal(s), and they had to watch it happen, the poor misguided fools, and it involved at least one "celebrity" to make it even more plausible.

preston96 · Nov 29, 2009

Coelacanth said:
OK it's true then, it happened, it cost $80,000/$90,0000/$fillinnumberofyourchoice to rehabilitate that one (or more) otter/seal(s), and they had to watch it happen, the poor misguided fools, and it involved at least one "celebrity" to make it even more plausible.

Well which one was it 80,000 or 90,000 and did it cost more than Pamela's tits..........the fact remains that Orca's eat seals and do gooders are damn fools!:wh

coelacanth · Nov 29, 2009

Paul Williams 11 said:
Well which one was it 80,000 or 90,000 and did it cost more than Pamela's tits..........

Doesn't really matter, you can adapt it to suit your own prejudices and ignorance. There are plenty more similar stories out there, they get rehashed every few years as their new audience learns to read.

and do gooders are damn fools!:wh

Love that term, "do-gooders". Like the Wandle Trust, for example, or Action for the River Kennet, or The Wild Trout Trust, or anyone else who gives a **** about more than just themselves?

904_cannon · Nov 29, 2009

Yes, it has to be removed surgically, if it cant the body part has to be removed.

I think it was featured on the fishing TV programme last week

Isn't nature marvelously horrific...

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