And if this wasn’t creepy enough, it gets even wilder.
Remember that juvenile Cymothoas transition into females when they move in? Well, in case a fish is already taken, they stay in the gills of the fish and grow up as males. Once the female and the male have developed into a fully grown louse, the male crawls into the mouth and mates with the female. Yikes.
After a short gestation period, the female gives birth to a whole new generation of lice that will continue this nightmarish cycle.