Zombie ants? Apparently, a parasite can do that by capturing the brains of ants

A recent study has said that a brain-altering parasite turns ants into "zombies" at dawn and dusk. According to the University of Copenhagen's study published in Science Daily last Sunday (September 17), the liver fluke parasite takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to the tops of blades of grass where they can be eaten by cattle and deer.

"The common liver fluke has an exceptional life cycle as it moves through snails, ants and grass-grazing herbivores," the study said.

The findings

As per the study, liver flukes have a complicated almost insanely conceived life cycle, which begins with the hijacking of the ant's brain. "The unsuspecting ant climbs up and clamps its powerful jaws onto the top of a blade of grass, making it more likely to be eaten by grazers such as cattle and deer," it said.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen's plant and environmental sciences department discovered the parasite's ability to control the ant was even more cunning than previously believed.

The parasite can even get the ant to crawl back down the blade of grass when it gets too hot.

Associate Professor Brian Fredensborg, who carried out the study, said that getting the ants high up in the grass for when cattle or deer graze during the cool morning and evening hours, and then down again to avoid the sun's deadly rays, is quite smart.

The zombie switch

The researchers tagged hundreds of ants in the Bidstrup Forests near Roskilde, Denmark. AssociateProfessor Fredensborg said that colours and numbers were glued into the rear segments of the ants (to keep track of them for a longer period.)

The researchers then observed the behaviour of the infected ants in relation to light, humidity, time of day and temperature. "When the temperature was low, the ants were more likely to be attached to the top of a blade of grass. When the temperature rose, the ants relinquished the grass and crawled back down," the study said.

"We found a clear correlation between temperature and ant behaviour. We joked about having found the ants' zombie switch," Fredensborg said.

As the liver fluke infects the ant, several hundred parasites invade the ant's body. However, only one makes its way to the brain, where it can influence the ant's behaviour, and the rest of the flukes conceal themselves in the ant's abdomen.

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