Who’s pulling the strings behind… Zombie Ants!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Some carpenter ants get infected by a fungus called Ophiocordyceps that hijacks their behavior. The ants climb leaves, and lock into a creepy “death grip.” Then the fungus sprouts and releases spores. Ack!
Researchers thought just ONE fungus created zombie ants. But Harry Evans and team in Brazil looked closer.
They gathered infected ants from different forests and compared the fungi growing on each one.
Surprise! Different ant species host their own specialized fungus puppeteer, often with a unique death pose.
This revelation helps researchers track biodiversity and understand how parasites evolve with their hosts.
Creepy… yet strangely elegant.
Reference: Evans HC, Elliot SL, Hughes DP (2011) Hidden Diversity Behind the Zombie-Ant Fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: Four New Species Described from Carpenter Ants in Minas Gerais, Brazil. PLOS ONE 6(3): e17024. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017024