While zombie infections are a common trope in Hollywood movies, a similar phenomenon exists as a stark reality in the natural world. A parasitic fungus known as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis has a single primary target, which is to multiply its own numbers and scatter its spores far and wide. To achieve this survival goal, it takes over the bodies of ants.
How the dangerous infection spreads
This particular fungus thrives within tropical forests. When its microscopic spores attach themselves to the outer protective exoskeleton of a foraging ant, they immediately begin to infect the host from the inside out.
The ant moves at the fungus command
As the infection progresses deeper, the fungus forces the host ant to abandon its colony entirely. The ant crawls upward to a plant leaf roughly 10 inches off the ground and clamps its mandibles tightly around the leaf vein, a behavior widely referred to as a death grip.
Sprouting from the skull
Within a few days following the death of the host ant, the fungus erupts outward from the back of its skull. The deceased ant thus transforms into a launchpad from which the fungus releases its spores into the surrounding air to infect new ants.
Controlling the nervous system without the brain
Contrary to popular cinematic portrayals, the fungus does not actually take over the ant brain. Researchers have discovered through studies that the parasite bypasses the brain entirely, instead weaving a network around the muscle tissue to directly control the nervous system.
Balancing the forest ecosystem
Although this infection carries a one hundred percent fatality rate for the individual host, its purpose is not to wipe out entire colonies. To maintain balance within the forest ecosystem, the fungus targets only selected ants, a dynamic that scientists compare to a chronic cold.
Impact on spiders and other insects
Extensive research indicates that there are over two hundred species of this fungus that target various insects and spiders. Certain strains subject the insects to such powerful biological alterations that parts of their bodies even begin to shed off.
