1. living or growing on the external surface of an animal
Usage: biology; zoology

Examples

• Epizoic organisms such as lice and fleas live on the skin of their hosts.
• The researcher studied epizoic algae that colonized the shells of sea turtles.
• Epizoic parasites are easier to observe than internal parasites.
• Many epizoic species have adapted specialized structures for clinging to their hosts.
• The epizoic fauna of whales includes barnacles and other marine organisms.