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Tongue Thief

Fauna

Tongue Thief

Sight radius 40 m

Field notes

*Ostrakonskelos glossaklept*, the hard-legged tongue thief. A parasitic crab or louse that dwells in the mouth, causing intense and unremitting hunger.

1

Crablike body plan

A close relative of other Protean crabs, belonging to the infraorder Adulati. The segmented body has two cerci, nerve-rich organs which evolved from legs. The mouthparts are simple. The tongue thief relies on its host to chew food.

2

Parasitic hijack

Tongue thieves mimic other prey species until swallowed, then use a numbing agent to paralyze the predator's jaw long enough to anchor to the tongue. This numbing agent blocks the nerves that signal satiety (fullness) to the brain.

3

Semi-cooperative hunting

Although they are parasites, tongue thieves' small eyes and grasping limbs help the host latch onto food.

4

Reproduction

Tongue thieves anchor eggs or spermatophores in the mouth of their host, where they wait for a thief of the opposite sex to arrive. Infant tongue thieves (called manca) pass through the host's digestive tract.

5

Possible cultural function

In the same way some human cultures use capsaicin in food, it is conceivable that other organisms might develop a taste for the tongue thief's numbing agent. Personal experimentation would be ill-advised. Assessment: expel parasite to reduce host hunger. Be alert for juveniles who may attempt to infest your mouth.