"Zombie" ant victim of killer fungus

5 years ago
21.3K

This carpenter ant from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador became infected with a fungus that forces the ant to climb up and bite down on the underside of a leaf. Then it slowly decomposes the ant and grows a spore-releasing stalk from its head in order to infect more ants. Such Entomopathogenic Fungi attack many other insects and may be employed as biological insecticides. Crazy!

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