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Zombie-Ant Fungus

• runeks 5y ago
  > Infected hosts leave their canopy nests and foraging trails for the forest floor, an area with a temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth; they then use their mandibles to attach themselves to a major vein on the underside of a leaf, where the host remains after its eventual death. The process leading to mortality takes 4–10 days, and includes a reproductive stage where fruiting bodies grow from the ant's head, rupturing to release the fungus's spores. BBC Earth footage: https://youtu.be/o57imEfknMQ https://youtu.be/o57imEfknMQ