You’ve probably learned a lot in school about reproduction. Females are generally impregnated by their male counterparts. The only species that are an exception to the rule are those capable of a phenomenon called parthenogenesis, which is described as a creature’s ability to give birth on its own.
If you think parthenogenesis is strange, then you’re bound to be even more weirded out by how this woman was impregnated . . . by an actual squid!
Woman, 63, Becomes Pregnant in the Mouth After Eating Squid
Move over! Nadya Suleman, a real-life octo-mom, is here!
According to reports, a 63-year-old woman became pregnant in the mouth after consuming a portion of cooked squid. The out-of-this-world occurrence was written in a scientific paper for the National Center for Biotechnology Information in Bethesda, Maryland.
The report added that the South Korean woman managed to “give birth” to a total of 12 baby squids after eating calamari. So how can something like this happen in the first place? It all started when the unlucky lady bit into the squid, which most likely still had some uncooked parts. She almost immediately felt a sharp pain in her mouth but disregarded it for a while. She finally went for a checkup after feeling “bug-like” organisms squirming all over her mouth.
When doctors examined her, they were shocked to discover baby cephalopods attached to her mouth. These are tiny pods that are covered in cement-like material to make them stick. Inside these pods was an ejaculatory apparatus that was rapidly shooting out sperm.
The doctors scheduled an emergency operation, where they managed to remove 12 squid spermatophores around her cheek, teeth, and tongue. Here is the official report:
“She did not swallow the portion but spat it out immediately. She complained of a pricking and foreign-body sensation in the oral cavity.
“Twelve small, white spindle-shaped, bug-like organisms stuck in the mucous membrane of the tongue, cheek, and gingiva [gums] were completely removed, along with the affected mucosa.
“On the basis of their morphology and the presence of the sperm bag, the foreign bodies were identified as squid spermatophores.”
Scroll down for the video
Turns out this case isn’t particularly new. A similar incident occurred involving a woman in Japan last year. Just like the South Korean, this Japanese woman ate squid and experienced a sharp pain not long after. Doctors later discovered that the spermatopheres settled inside her mouth were the cause of the pain.
According to experts, incidents of people becoming pregnant in the mouth after eating something are only likely to happen in Eastern nations due to their tradition of eating seafood totally or partially raw. This contrasts to the culinary practices done in the west wherein internal organs are moved and the meat is thoroughly cooked.