The phorid fly turns fire ants into zombies by laying
eggs inside them. When the larvae hatch, they eat their way to the
ant's brain, which they also eat, leaving the fiery bastards to
wander around like zombies before dying. Sick.
"At some point, the ant gets up and starts wandering," said Rob
Plowes, a research associate at UT.
The maggot eventually migrates into the ant's head, but Plowes said
he "wouldn't use the word 'control' to describe what is happening.
There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts
wandering aimlessly. This wandering stage goes on for about two
weeks."
About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off
and the fly emerges ready to attack any foraging ants away from the
mound and lay eggs.
ZOMG -- it's head falls off. That reminds me of the
time I was getting it on with a velociraptor when my parents came
home early so I tried stuffing him in the closet but accidentally
slammed the door closed on his neck and his head fell off. I buried
it in the backyard, but I kept the body. What? It's okay of it's a
dinosaur!
