A tiny parasite reaches a shark's brainSourced
This copepod anchors beyond the nose, at the shark's olfactory bulb.
Female Driocephalus copepods have been found in several shark species. Part of the body remains in the nasal cavity while a branching holdfast attaches to the brain's olfactory bulb. It is an unusual confirmed case of a copepod parasitising a nervous system; its effect on the shark is unknown.
A tiny creature occupies a surprisingly deep niche.
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Driocephalus · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01