Protozoa

science:

Zombie ants:

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature - parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies…

“This leaf shows clear signs of one well documented form of zombie-parasite, a fungus which infects ants and then manipulates their behaviour.”

The fungus, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, causes ants to leave their colonies and head for a leaf which provides the ideal conditions for the host to reproduce.

When it gets there the ant goes into a ‘death grip’- biting down very hard on the major vein of a leaf. This means that when the ant dies, its body stays put so the fungus has time to grow and release its spores to infect other ants.

Above, a modern-day zombie ant: “It is biting into the leaf vein and the fungal growth can clearly be seen issuing from its head.”