Scientists Found a New Species of Wasp That Turns Spiders Into Zombies

Scientists Found a New Species of Wasp That Turns Spiders Into Zombies

6 years ago
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https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/zmdzgx/scientists-found-a-new-species-of-wasp-that-turns-spiders-into-zombies

Among the piranhas, anacondas, and jaguars of the Ecuadorian Amazon, a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp might be the scariest thing in the jungle.

The wasps “hijack” the brains of spiders known to live in communal webs and force them to abandon their colonies and protect the wasp’s larva for them. Then, the zombie spiders “wait patiently” to be eaten, according to a recent study published in Ecological Entomology.