Happy Halloween!

The living dead may not be as far-fetched an idea as would have been previously assumed. At least not in the world of insects. Throughout time, across the planet, there have been countless examples in the insect kingdom of mindless bugs, stripped of life, shambling to the beat of some eerie drum. Cockroaches, for instance can reportedly survive long after their head has been severed. This is of course just the tip of the iceberg.

Phorid flies and Jewel wasps are both reputed for laying eggs inside an unsuspecting victim via sting. Once the young hatch they feast on the inside of the host, reducing them to a wandering zombie. This is truly amazing although not an isolated exmaple. There are even forms of fungus which enter an insects body through respiratory spiracles and begin to consume the non-vital soft tissues. Again, the victim is reduced to a mindless zombie shambling to area well suited to spread more spores. The fungus then causes the victim to anchor themselves, spreading throughout and eventually killing the insect by growing through it’s exoskeleton. At this point the flowering fungal body bursts, spewing more spores into the air. In this manner whole colonies can be wiped out.

Kind of creepy? The list goes on.
Zombies ARE among us…