368K views · 11K reactions | Yes, the Cordyceps fungus is real—and it can destroy entire insect colonies. | National Geographic | Facebook

117K views · 2.2K reactions | Zombie fungus in Florida! This ant was taken over by cordyceps fungus, Ophiocordyceps turns ants into nature’s very own mind-controlled hosts, guiding them to spread the spores before meeting their end. A chilling reminder of how powerful and strange nature can be!  #NatureFacts #ZombieFungus #Cordyceps #Ants #FloridaNature #animaleducation #scicomm #educational | Chris Gillette | Facebook

Cordyceps - Mind Controlling Zombie Fungus A parasitic fungus known to manipulate the brains of ants to make them slavelike "zombies" Once infected, the spore-possessed ant will climb down from its normal habitat and bite down, with what the authors call a "death grip" on a leaf and then die. But the story doesn’t end there. Specialized parasites are expected to express complex adaptations to their hosts. Manipulation of host behavior is such an adaptation. We studied the fungus Ophiocordyceps u