Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as zombie-ant fungus, [2] is an insect-pathogenic fungus, discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859. Zombie ants, infected by the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus, are predominantly found in tropical rainforests.

2022年11月18日 · Around the world, a parasitic fungus transforms ants into “zombies.” The fungus is like something out of a horror movie: The organism hijacks the body and brain of its ant host,...

2019年4月18日 · Deep in the Amazon rainforest, parasitic fungi called take over ants' bodies in order to reproduce. It's featured in National Geographic Channel's Hostile Planet episode on jungles, airing...

What are ant parasites? Parasites in the ant world are very common, but they do not seem to affect their host’s life in a wider sense. One of the more famous parasites is the ”zombie fungus” that infects its host and makes it climb high above the ground.

2019年6月11日 · Definitive evidence of “zombie-ant” behaviour, dating to around 48m years ago, comes from fossilised leaves that show the distinct markings on either side of leaf veins left by the lock-jawed...

2025年2月9日 · Zombie-ant fungus is a species of parasitic fungus that infects ants and alters their behavior before killing them. The fungus is largely pantropical and primarily infects carpenter ants.

2024年5月23日 · Zombie ants are ants that have been infected by a fungus. Ants on a flower. Peter Pearsall, photographer, 2015. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a parasitic fungus that infects carpenter ants.

2024年1月30日 · Social parasitism is the coexistence of two or more ant species in one nest or colony. It involves a parasitic species which is dependent on one or several host species. The relationship can be obligatory or facultative, permanent or temporary. These relationships can take many forms and have been classified in various ways.

2009年7月31日 · In Central America, ants that eat bird droppings can end up ingesting a nematode parasite that lays eggs in the ants’ bellies, turns them bright red and rounds them out.

2012年11月8日 · One of the first clues that a tropical carpenter ant has become infected with Ophiocordyceps is that it will leave the dry tree canopy and descend to the humid forest floor, staggering over...