The silent invasion
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The puppet master
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The death grip
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Evolutionary warfare
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YOUR GOAL
Master of The zombie ant fungus
misslily Steer the zombie ant to the perfect leaf to discover how fungal parasites hijack hosts.
misslily Zombie Ant Fungus
Climb to the leaf / Lock in a bite / Rain down the spores tonight
misslily Once inside, the fungus multiplies as single-celled yeasts that travel through the blood.
Exoskeleton armor: The zombie fungus uses specialized chemical cocktails to dissolve an ant's tough outer shell in under 24 hours.
A minute, typically one-celled reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new organism without sexual fusion. During the initial Ophiocordyceps infection, a microscopic spore uses specialized enzymes to penetrate the host's hard exoskeleton.
What internal resource does the zombie fungus consume first while the ant is still acting normally?
Where do the canopy-nesting carpenter ants typically get infected by the zombie fungus spores?
Once inside the ant, what physical form does the zombie fungus take to travel through the body?
What is the scientific name of the specific fungus famous for turning ants into zombies?
How long does an infected ant typically behave normally before the fungus begins taking physical control?
Which specific type of ant is the primary target of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus?