Parasites are nature’s most unexpected heroes, so let’s SAVE THE PARASITES!
Large-scale project to save parasites
Scientists know only 10% of all parasite species, but a major preservation project is to change that. Apart from identifying the endangered parasites, the project will establish their importance.
Collect information
Counting parasites in different ecosystems, mapping DNA and behaviour.
Describe species
Describing half of all parasite species.
Identify risks
Mapping out the most endangered species and key negative factors in their potential survival.
Prepare a ‘red’ list
Listing the most endangered parasite species.
Offer legal protection
Lawmakers must introduce laws that protect parasites.
Educate
Students and scientists should learn more about parasites.
Inform
The general population needs to be informed of parasites' roles.
Deep in a southern Californian coastal swamp, tiny sperm-like cercariae are swimming about in search of a host. As a killifish passes by, the cercariae dart directly towards it, penetrating the fish at full speed. Once inside the fish, they travel via blood vessels and nerves to the brain, which they cover in thousands of cysts. This makes the fish swim towards the surface and wriggle, where it is more likely to end up in the stomach of a predatory bird – in which the parasite would like to lay its
