Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Zombie Ants (Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis)

Would you believe me if I said there was something out there that is more deadly than rabies. More vicious than rabies, and more chilling than rabies. It is called Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis, it comes from the fungus family Cordyceps, (which is what I am going to refer it to since its just easier to read) and you will be happy to know that it doesn't affect humans only ants, at least right now, I am not sure if it will jump the species barrier anytime soon.

Your probably wondering what is Cordyceps and why should I care, and a reason I would give is that it is super interesting and cool to read about. Cordyceps is not a disease or virus, unlike rabies it is a fungus, which is really what makes it creepier. What it does is it grows inside the host (an insect) eating on non-vital organs until it grows strong enough to move into the brain. Once inside the brain this freaky fungus sends out signals and forces the ant to move, it basically has full body control over the ant. What it does in control is lead the ant up a plant, kill it by devouring it's brain, and sprouts a mushroom out of the ants head. Eventually this leads to just a mass graveyard of dead ants with mushrooms growing out of their head, creating spores therefore spreading the fungus further.

All of this is really quite interesting and if you want to read more about Cordyceps than do so because it really is a fascinating thing that not many people know about. The creepiest part about this is just that it is something else controlling your body, you are basically dead while this parasite is in full control of your movements.

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