Put this in the Nature is Cruel book. From NewScientist (3 March 2018, paywall):
Zombie ant fungi are parasites that are mostly found in tropical forests. Once inside its host, such a fungus alters the ant’s behaviour in ways that favour its own reproduction, for example by compelling the ant to seek a place other ants are likely to pass. The fungus then sprouts a long stalk, sometimes right through the back of the ant’s head. Infectious spores bloom at the end, making it easier for the fungus to brush onto another ant.
“Besides their beauty, it’s striking how these fungi evolved and are so well adapted morphologically and ecologically to infect their hosts,” says João Araãjo at Pennsylvania State University.
Nature may be endlessly inventive, but the byproduct seems to be a particularly vibrant form of the macabre.
