This collection showcases insects that have been infected by parasitic fungi, often referred to as "zombie fungi." These fungi have the remarkable ability to invade an insect’s body and influence its behavior, leading to what many describe as a "zombie" state. While some refer to these fungi as cordyceps—belonging to a specific genus—they are part of a broader group of parasitic fungi.
In this video, you will see a parasitized moth, spider, larvae, caterpillar, and cicada, illustrating the fascinating interactions between fungi and insects.
This video addresses the following questions:
What is parasitic fungi?
What is zombie fungus?
Which insects are parasitized by zombie fungi?
Does the fungus kill insects?
Can the fungus control an insect’s behavior or mind?
In this video, you will see a parasitized moth, spider, larvae, caterpillar, and cicada, illustrating the fascinating interactions between fungi and insects.
This video addresses the following questions:
What is parasitic fungi?
What is zombie fungus?
Which insects are parasitized by zombie fungi?
Does the fungus kill insects?
Can the fungus control an insect’s behavior or mind?
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00There's something very wrong with this moth. Take a close look. It looks like it's covered
00:06in this cream-colored spiky goo. This is what a normal moth looks like.
00:12So what happened to this one? Well, one day, a microscopic spore from a parasitic fungus
00:20landed on this moth. Day by day, the fungus grew. It digested the moth's insides and enveloped
00:29its entire body. Then, it sprouted these cute little branches to produce more spores,
00:36which flew away and infected more moths. Like this one, pinned inside this wooden box.
00:44When I saw this, I thought these fungi must only infect moths. But I was wrong.
00:50Cause take a look here. It's a small spider parasitized by another fungus. Here it is up close.
00:59Do you see its abdomen? There's the fungus sprouting out of it. This spider is only the beginning.
01:07Here's a fungus that's wrapped around the body of a beetle larva, like a tight little blanket.
01:13Here's another growing out of the head of a larva instead. And look inside this tube. There's a
01:20parasitic fungus growing out of a caterpillar from this end right here. This one grew to be
01:27absolutely massive. Over a foot long. Now I thought these fungi must kill the insects right away.
01:39But that's not the case. Sometimes they keep them alive. Look here. This is what a normal cicada looks
01:48like. This is what a cicada looks like that's been infected by a parasitic fungus. Can you spot the
01:55difference? How about from this angle? The fungus has entirely replaced the end of this cicada's abdomen.
02:05But the thing is, the infected cicada continues to live. And when it flies around, it sprinkles
02:13little fungus spores on the ground below, like an infectious salt shaker. Now it looks like just
02:21the bodies of these insects are infected. But that's not the case. When these fungi take over an insect,
02:28they infect its body and its mind. Listen to this. If a male cicada is infected,
02:37the fungus will make it act like a female cicada. Specifically, it will start to flicker its wings,
02:44which is a behavior only seen in female cicadas that are ready to mate. Uninfected males will see
02:54these fake flickers and be entirely tricked. These uninfected males will come to mate with the infected
03:03males, only to become infected themselves. Specimen use made possible by the University of Michigan
03:12Museum of Zoology and Herbarium.