These hacker shells infiltrate their hosts, forcing them to take care of themselves by fraudulent means and even change the sex of males.
If you thought that biological attack was only possible on land, then parasitic projectiles (Sacculina carcini) prove that the underwater world has gone too far in this regard. These parasites are parasitic mussels that are highly successful at hacking green crabs (Carcinus maenas) and controlling their hosts.
This parasitic cancer is similar to other mussels in its larval form, but everything changes as it grows. In an earlier adult form, the female looks like a microscopic slug, but as soon as she manages to attach to the host, she immediately “hacks” it. Moreover, the cancer hijacker begins to grow, grow and enlarge its antennae, which helps it to eat the unfortunate carrier.
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Ultimately, the female becomes a sphere made entirely of reproductive tissue, waiting for a male to fertilize her. Note that male parasitic shells are relatively miniature and live with a single function – to pollinate the female hacker.
However, the most fascinating thing about this biological attack is how the parasitic cancer interacts with its host. The crabs think they’re taking care of the egg sac, while the parasite females “hack” and trick them into dealing with the growing clump of reproductive tissue.
In males, such a trick does not work, and therefore the parasites use a different strategy – when the parasite settles in a male crab, it triggers endocrine changes in his body. As a result, the male begins to look and act like a female crab. Shortly after such a ‘break-in’, he also lovingly cares for a clump of reproductive tissue.
As a result, the parasite fuses with the crab’s underside and slowly absorbs most of the nutrients it carefully collects and then uses it to grow and reproduce.
Previously Focus He wrote that evolution cannot be stopped by experiments on crabs.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.