A newly discovered fungus that infects spiders in a way similar to the 'zombie ant' fungus has been named Gibellula attenboroughii in honor of Sir David Attenborough. The parasitic fungus was found in caves across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during filming of the BBC's Winterwatch series. Infection causes spiders to leave their webs and die exposed, helping the fungus disperse its spores to new hosts.
A newly discovered fungus that waas found infecting spiders in a cave in Northern Ireland has been named in honour of Sir David Attenboroug.
Researchers discovered a fungus turning spiders into “zombies”, similar to the zombie ant fungus that inspired the post-apocalyptic TV show The Last of Us. Upon infection, it forces cave-dwelling spiders out of their lairs and onto cave walls, where they hang before they die out in the open. The study says the fungus kills the orb-wearing spiders, named Metellina merianae, and uses their corpses to release its spores to infect new hosts. The new fungus species was found in caves across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
FUNGUS INFECTION SPIDERS PARASITIC NATURE
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