If you ever have a choice between being possessed by the devil and being possessed by a Sacculina carcini, opt for the devil - no contest. A female sacculina begins life as a tiny free-floating slug in the sea, drifting around until she encounters a crab. When that fateful day arrives, she finds a chink in the crab's armor (usually an elbow or leg joint) and thrusts a kind of hollow dagger into its body. After that, she (how to put this?) "injects" herself into the crab, sluicing through the dagger and leaving behind a husk. Once inside, the jellylike sacculina starts to take over. She grows "roots" that extend to every part of the crab's body - wrapping around its eyestalks and deep into its legs and arms. The female feeds and grows until eventually she pops out of the top of the crab, and from this knobby protrusion, she will steer the Good Ship Unlucky Crab for the rest of their co-mingled life. Packed full of parasite, the crab will forgo its own needs to serve those of its master. It won't molt, grow reproductive organs, or attempt to reproduce. It won't even regrow appendages, as healthy crabs can. Rather than waste the nutrients on itself, a host crab will hobble along and continue to look for food with which to feed its parasite master.

man, some of these are pretty nasty sounding.... *shudder* ...i remember hearing about "tape worms" when i was a kid running around in africa, and believe me when i say that shit scared the hell outta me -- especially with my imagination fire'n on all 24 cylinders.

...and if you're thinking that this kinda reminds you of an ex-girlfriend or something, then you're probably not alone, mang.

speaking of freaky shit.... ferocious ants bite like a bullet:

Trap-jaw ants bite with a force of over 300 times their own bodyweight, new high-speed digital images have shown.

Their jaws spring shut at more than 100 km/h (62mph) - the fastest recorded speed at which an animal can move its predatory body parts.

The pictures also reveal these tiny creatures, native to Central and South America, do more with their vicious jaws than simply giving a nasty nip.

By biting the ground, the ants hurl themselves upwards when danger looms.

anybody else suddenly hungry, or what?