Take a look at this bizarre organism:
And here’s another one:
Chances are, you’re thinking this is some kind of deep-sea coral, an alien-like sea plant, or maybe even some strange fungus…
But you couldn’t be more wrong! 😆
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This thing is actually an animal! And not just any animal—it’s a crustacean! Yep, despite its bizarre, plant-like appearance, this creature belongs to the same group as crabs and shrimp. Mind-blowing, right?
Meet Dendrogaster—The Alien Among Crustaceans
Say hello to Dendrogaster, a genus of endoparasitic crustaceans from the family Dendrogastridae. These bizarre creatures live inside the coelom (body cavity) of various sea stars, feeding on their hosts while remaining nearly invisible from the outside.
While their larvae resemble typical crustaceans, once they invade a sea star, they undergo an extreme transformation. They morph into these branched, tentacle-like structures that mimic their host’s gonads and digestive organs.
A Life of Parasitic Horror
Here’s what makes Dendrogaster extra creepy:
Their branched structures help them blend in within the host’s body, making detection difficult.
They slowly suppress the sea star’s reproductive system, preventing it from spawning.
Their feeding strategy allows them to leech off their host without killing it—at least, not immediately.
The only way to discover them is to cut open an infected sea star—revealing a grotesque alien-like mass inside!
The Evolutionary Mystery
We still know very little about Dendrogaster and its full impact on sea star populations. What’s certain is that nature has once again outdone itself in creating something straight out of a sci-fi horror movie!