The fungus that turns ants into zombies "zombie ant fungus"

Описание: Meet Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, also known as the "zombie-ant fungus," and its life cycle is the stuff of nightmares. It starts when a microscopic spore lands on an unsuspecting ant foraging on the forest floor. That spore then burrows through the ant's exoskeleton and starts hijacking everything. But here's the thing: scientists discovered that the fungus doesn't actually take over the ant's brain. Instead, it surrounds the muscle fibers and release chemicals that controls the ant's body directly. The ant's brain is still in there, and it's fully aware of what's happening, but it's locked in a body that no longer obeys its commands.

The fungus then forces its victim to leave the safety of the colony and climb a plant to a precise height (around 10 inches off the ground). Once there, it forces the ant to use its last bit of strength to clamp down on a leaf vein in a "death grip." Once that happens a stalk begins to sprout from the back of the dead ant's head that eventually bursts open to rain down spores on the unsuspecting ants below to start the cycle all over again.

Extra information that was not included in the video due to the fact it would've been too long:

1). Researchers discovered that the fungal cells are connected throughout the ant's body, forming a collective network that likely coordinates control of the host's behavior. This suggests the fungus acts as a unified entity rather than individual cells.

2). It specifically destroys muscle function. Studies show the fungus invades the mandibular muscles and causes hypercontraction. It damages the muscle fibers so much that they can no longer relax, which locks the jaws permanently around the leaf vein. This explains why the "death grip" is so unbreakable no matter how hard the ant tries to escape.

3). The infected ants don't die randomly. They gather in specific locations called "graveyards," where dozens of ant corpses can be found attached to the leaves they died on.

4). Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is now understood to be a species complex. Meaning what was once thought to be ONE species is actually many different species. And each species of this fungus is highly specialized to infect a specific ant species. So far, scientists have identified over 35 different species, and suspect that there may be hundreds more.

5). The fungus has its own parasites. Ophiocordyceps itself can be infected by hyperparasitic fungi (like Niveomyces coronatus) that attack the zombie-ant fungus, potentially keeping its populations in check.