TED-Ed - Tongue Eating Louse

This parasitic crustacean has one of the most bizarre survival strategies: it replaces a fish's tongue with its own body. In this animated video for TED-Ed, we dive into the creepy, fascinating world of the tongue-eating louse and explore how such a strange creature starts its life, grows, gets on fish, and eventually ends up in our kitchens. 

PRODUCED BY

TED-Ed

Visual Style

Once the team received the script, we immediately knew that we would try to resemble old biology textbooks, with textured paper backgrounds and detailed illustrations. 

The fish are treated like background elements, whereas the louse move around the water. This helped us draw attention to their dynamic where the louse, as the parasite, treats the fish like its home. 

Storyboards

The storyboard came together very naturally thanks to the clarity and flow of the script. It laid everything out in a way that made visualizing and pacing feel intuitive and fun.

Produced by

TED-Ed

Director

Flaka Kokolli

Illustrators and Animators

Diellza Franca
Flaka Kokolli
Leonita Thaqi
Elsa Talla
Finesa Peja