THE ZOMBIE ANTS OF THE RAINFOREST FOR JR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Have you ever heard of a fungus that attacks ants that crawl on the floor of rain forests in tropical climates? This fungus is commonly known as the “Zombie Ant” fungus. The scientific name is Cordyceps.

Where it starts

Cordyceps grows on the limbs of trees in tropical forests. In order to live, grow and continue their life cycle, it falls off the tree limbs all the way down to the ground.

And then it waits—silently and very still—for its favorite insect: the busy ant.

How it takes control

The ant unknowingly steps on the waiting fungus and thus contact is made. The fungus then penetrates into the ant’s body and begins to grow inside its host.

The first place it overtakes is the insect’s brain. This causes the insect to become “zombified.” From that point on, the fungus dictates every single move the ant makes. The ant no longer belongs to itself—its brain now belongs to the fungus that invaded it.

The fungus forces its victim to crawl all the way back up the tree to the very limb it fell from. By the time the unwilling ant carries its host back to the tree limb, its insides have been literally dissolved and eaten away by its invader.

The life cycle

The dead and decayed lifeless body of the once-busy ant then falls back to the ground. The fungus gets to live yet another life cycle after nurturing from the inside of the ant.

The life cycle for this particular type of fungus takes about four to ten days. The cycle of all fungi (plural for fungus) continues in repeated cycles, over and over again.

Where Cordyceps is found

Cordyceps are usually located in rainforests in Brazil, Australia, and Thailand. However, in some rare cases they have been found in Florida and South Carolina.

Learn more (video)

Please visit “This Zombie Fungus Mind Controls Insects” by Crazy Creatures on YouTube to learn more.