A Parasitic Flatworm (IMAGE)

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

A Parasitic Flatworm

Caption

A trematode worm bites and sucks out the insides of an enemy species, with the eyespots of the victim's offspring still visible inside the attacker's gut. At least 20 species of trematode compete to parasitize and castrate marine horn snails (Cerithideopsis species), and such predatory interactions are more frequent in the temperate zone than the tropics.

Credit

Ryan Hechinger

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Credit: R. Hechinger

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