This Fungus Turns Insects Into Zombies | Natural Born Killers | BBC Earth

A fungus that turns insects into Zombies.

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This Fungus Turns Insects Into Zombies

From a fungus that turns creatures into zombies, to snap traps and pitfalls, these plants are anything but herbivores. Discover the incredible world of carnivorous plants.

Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you'll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn't get more exciting than this.

[GehtRektSon]

I knew there were fungi that did this but I noticed in 2021 there was a much larger amount of grasshopper type insects clinging to the tops of tall grass stalks and other weeds that had died. I took note that they all had a white mold/fungus growing from them and they had their rear ends bent up in a way that looked unnatural, almost like an L. They would also raise their hind legs to the sky. They would essentially just die like that with their thorax pointed up and out to maximize wind dispersal and die of starvation I assumed.

[robdavis]

There's a great book titled "Parasite Rex" which goes into detail how parasites have shaped history 🤩

[nobody-wkej]

Naughty Dog was brilliant turning this into a concept.

[FatherManus]

Cordyceps. The real parasitic fungal infection that inspired the infected in The Last Of Us.

[raphi]

What if an dead/infected ant gets carried by ant to rival colony? The ultimate weapon.

[MillersLanguageSchool]

No matter how old you are, this is the most suitable age to watch this channel :)

[MrFossilabgfyth]

Tarantula's can be affected too. I saw a picture of one within the pages of a Ripley's Believe it of Not book.

[EarthC_]

I never ever never expected these vicious acts from these tiny creatures...nature is love🔥

[cyruslad]

Such a shame about that ant, I knew him well, his name was Gav, he's a fun guy.

[Quert_Zuiopue]

BBC Earth...
Just like National Geographic, but with style!

[TRDPaul]

How does the ant one work though? You explain how the cicada one works by flooding its brain with chemicals that make it more hungry and eager to mate so it spreads around the spores more but what does the ant one do to make the ant climb a tree and anchor itself to it?

[ANTAGONISER]

When the fungus is sick of insects, it will probably start going for bigger host like mammals.

[Lilyut]

One single floodspore can destroy a species...

[eggintheshell]

Reminds me of the toxic jungle from nausicaa of the vally of the wind

[calebthecatfish]

Can you imagine if this fungus cloud infect humans? 😰

[viktorohlsson]

I wonder if ity would be possible to use Gain of Function research to recode it for other beings? scary thought.

[rebekablackwood]

What will happen if any human comes in contact with the fungus?

[idksomeguy]

Remember kids, the next cicada swarm will be around 2038. Be prepared

[travelwithtony]

That’s one way to stop the incessant and extremely loud and annoying noise that cicadas make in the tree right next to my apt.

[WJen]

Imagine one day some mad scientist genetically modifies one of these fungi to be able to affect humans as a biological weapon but an accident happens where a variant makes contact with the public triggering the zombie apocalypse 😮