Several new species of parasitic fungi have been discovered in the Brazilian Rain Forest. Each parasite specializes in controlling and then destroying the brain of a particular breed of carpenter ant.
Once the ant is infected, it is led far from the colony and abandoned by the other ants, or it wanders away of its own accord. Eventually a stalk emerges from the head of the infected ant. In an effort to infect other ants, the stalk shoots spores.
When the parasite is finished using the ant, it orders the host to bite into the underside of a leaf, assume a death grip and wait. So severe is this grip that the ant continues its hold even after it has expired.
VIDEO OF A STALK EMERGING FROM THE HEAD OF AN ANT
3 comments:
Parasites are really bizarre. I heard a story about one recently that emits a smell that is attractive to snails so a snail eats it.
But the point isn't getting eaten by the snail and the parasite egg causes the creature to become nauseous and vomit it out.
You see, ants love to eat snail vomit (honest) and when they eat the vomit they accidentally eat the parasite egg too.
But the point isn't getting eaten by the ant. Once it's inside, the parasite affects the ant's behavior, making it want to wait until just before sundown and then to climb to the top of the tallest blade of grass it can find and wait there. That's when the cows like to graze, and when a cow eats the grass it also gets the ant and the parasite egg inside of the ant.
Parasites are some strange and creepy little suckers!
Where were these insect facts when Annie Dillard was writing Tinker Creek?!
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