When you imagine parasites, you most likely think of creepy crawlies like worms and bugs that like to hitch a ride and cause trouble! But did you know that even in the ocean, life can be tough? Not even sharks are safe from parasites, and there are some strange cases that show just how harsh life can be below the waves.

Parasitic Eels: Sharks’ Plight

• Guess what scientists found inside sharks’ bodies? It’s a really weird parasite called the snubnosed eel! It’s like a tiny, sneaky guest that loves to hang out in the hearts and organs of sharks. Can you imagine having an eel as a roommate in your tummy? How wacky is that?  These eels can live happily in the ocean, scavenging dead animals. However, they also like to burrow into the flesh of larger fish, including sharks, where they feast to their heart’s content.
  
  
• In one case, a large shortfin mako shark was found with two eels in its heart, filled with shark blood. Uh-oh! Guess what? Those sneaky snubnosed eels decided to have a party inside a smalltooth sand tiger! They were found hanging out in the heart, body cavity, and muscles. Talk about unexpected guests! These cases are interesting because snubnosed eels don’t need to be parasites. They can survive without invading other animals. Yet, they choose to feast on larger fish, causing harm to their hosts.
  
  
• Scientists believe that the eels might find injured or dead sharks and take the opportunity to feast on them. While there are only a few recorded cases, studying these eels more closely could help us understand how organisms evolve and adapt to survive in different environments. Who knows what else we might discover about the fascinating world beneath the ocean’s surface!