Fungus

One of the most unique living things in the world is fungus called Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis. It’s a species of fungus that infects ants and turns them into zombies.Visually, it is extremely unique.When the fungus is growing out of the ant, it looks like a long white or brown stem with a sac growing on it. What it does is intriguing. It infects ants, and begins to grow out of their necks. After a while, it forces the ant to climb up very high on a tree or plant, and kills the ant. The ant can’t control certain parts of its body correctly, and it is constantly having the sudden urge to do dangerous things like climb much higher on trees. The fungus begins to grow out of the ants neck. At this point, the ant is nearly dead and is doing what is called the “death grip” which is when the fungus forces the ant to grip on as hard as it can to a tree or plant. After 4-10 days, the fungus releases tens of thousands of spores that will infect more ants and the cycle continues. This may be one of the most incredible events in nature. The fungus's ability to control another species is incredible. It’s an extremely unique occurrence and it really makes one think why the spores evolved this way. The ants have no way to defend themselves from the fungus, and are helpless as soon as it enters their body, just waiting to die.