Friday 6 February 2015

Mystery tuna creature is tongue-eating parasite, says expert

The tiny creature discovered in a tin of tuna by a Nottingham mother is a tongue-eating louse, scientists believe.

Zoe Butler was amazed to find a pair of eyes staring up at her when she opened the can of Princes tuna chunks.

The tiny tuna monster has set Twitter abuzz with explanations. The search for answers has been dubbed #tunagate.

But the Natural History Museum said that the head probably belonged to a Cymothoa exigua, or tongue-eating louse. The parasite lives inside a fish, entering through its gills and attaching itself to its host’s tongue.

Stuart Hine, Identification and Advisory Service manager, from the Natural History Museum, in London, said: “‘From what I can see I would support the head of a Tongue-eating louse, Cymothoa exigua, or similar.



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