People seem to not realize how amazing the natural world is, and how horrifying. Some of the things out there seem straight out of nightmares, like they could be the next big-bad in a newly released movie. There are insects with venom that paralyzes their prey so that their offspring can feed off the still-living creature. There are flies that lay their eggs inside of fire ants, eventually turning them into, for lack of a better word, zombies.
Zombie Ants:
It is no secret that ants, along with other insects, communicate with the use of pheromones. Pheromones are chemical substances produced by a species that influences other members of the same species physiologically or in their behavior.
An assistant professor at Harvard wanted to find out what the chemical equivalent of death was to ants. After searching for a while he discovered that one drop of the chemical oleic acid was the one.
Having figured this out, he wanted to test it. He put a small drop onto one unlucky ant who happened to be passing by, and almost immediately the other ants around it reacted. The “dead” ant was grabbed, flung onto an ant’s back, and carried over to the ant graveyard to be disposed of.
The “dead” ant was visibly alive, kicking and moving around, but the other ants only reacted to the smell.
Another instance of zombified ants is much more extraordinary.
Parasitic phorid flies in South America inject their eggs into fire ants. When the egg is still inside of the ant, it develops into a maggot and has the ability to control it’s host. The still-developing fly directs the ant to a moist and leafy area (the fly may die otherwise) far from the other fire ants.
The larva eats the ant’s brain, decapitates it, and then finally, after forty days, the fly hatches from the dead ant’s hollowed-out head.
Jewel Wasps and Zombie Roaches:
Another zombie-creator is the jewel wasp.
They have a special venom which paralyzes their prey (the American Cockroach), and lay their eggs on the roach. Because of it being paralyzed, the developing wasps are able to feed on the roach while they grow. The larvae eat the least vital organs first, keeping the roach alive for the six weeks it takes them to develop into adults.
You can see the Jewel Wasp in action here.
Amazonian Ants:
Less scary are the Amazonian Ants found by researchers. They are the first ever species to reproduce entirely without sex, and are an all-female species.
The way these ants reproduce is by having the queen clone herself, producing genetically identical daughters. There are benefits of having a species that operates without sex, which include doubling their reproduction rate and saving the energy it takes to produce males.
When these ants were dissected they found that they were physically incapable of mating.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7998931.stm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102601823
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/72740266.html
http://fromdusktilldawn.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/mind-controlling-parasites-part-ii-the-emerald-jewel-wasp/
