File :-(, x, )
What happened here? Anonymous
>> Anonymous
barrel roll gone wrong
>> Sludgemonstra
This is caused by a parasitic fungus. It grows within the body of the common housefly until their abdomen is almost bursting. When ready to "fruit", it forces the host to land somewhere and beat its wings as the spore sacs burst forth from its anus and get fanned into the air. The fly continues to do this involuntarily until it dies of exhaustion.
>> Anonymous
Definetly the case here. You can see the spores coming out of the fly's abdomen.
>> Anonymous
The barrel roll comment was correct actually.
>> Anonymous
Nature is a fucking bitch.
>> Anonymous
Nature is a /b/tard.
>> Anonymous
is there a link to more information about this fungus?
>> Anonymous
Oh my god, more info.
>> Anonymous
More information plz. Name of fungus?
>> Anonymous
Nevermind, I found it.
Entomophthora coronata
>> Scythemantis
There's a LOT of fungi that screw up the behavior of insects and make them suicidal in a variety of fun ways. Thus the basis for the Paras and Paresect pokemon (which I wrote about on my site's pokemon zoology article).
>> Anonymous
>>49131
Blarg I'm Ded
>> Anonymous
There's a parasite that grows in a cow's intestines, then is pooped out by the cow. And ant eats the eggs, and in the larval stage the parasite grows in the ant. when it's ready, the ant is forced to grip onto grass blades, which are eaten by the cow. I can't remember the name of it though.
>> Anonymous
>>49359
Dicrocoelium dendriticum

the lancet fluke.
It's a leech.
>> Scythemantis
I have a page of quick little snippets on parasites including all the above:

http://www.bogleech.com/bio-para.html

...Though I wrote it when I was slightly younger. My grammar and webdesign abilities have improved quite a bit. A couple facts have also been outdated by new findings.
>> Anonymous
>>49306
ok you get some kind of nerd award, i think that's the dorkiest thing i've read in weeks.
>> Anonymous
Parasites are creepy wonderful things.

ITT We go out and find the coolest parasite.

Only one ive got is Toxoplasmosis which encourages mice to take risks to incrase the chance theyll be eaten by a cat.
>> Scythemantis
I did say I wrote it when I was younger. It's been up for over six years.
>> Scythemantis
But...coolest parasite? I say the strepsipteran (twisted-wing parasites)

http://www.strepsiptera.uni-rostock.de/e/strepsiptera_images/xeve_m_sem.html image gallery

It doesn't do mind-control, but it has all the weirdness you could ever want.

-Larve are spiny, leaping little grubs that hide out on flowers until a bee comes by.

Adult males are tiny flies with unusual flapping wings and totally unique eyes (similar in structure to those of a trilobite. No other modern animal shares them), while the adult females are blind, limbless parasites in the bodies of bees. Their heads protrude from the body wall of their host, and the male will mate with them through an opening in their face.

Later, when the host lands on a flower, the parasite upchucks its young through the same opening and they lie in wait for other bees to come by. They're spiny, able to leap, and use an acid to dissolve their way into the host exoskeleton. Usually they wait until they're brought back to the hive where they can enter bee larvae and grow up with them.

Amazingly the male uses his VISION to find a mate, which would be only a tiny insect face poking out of a honeybee's abdomen. It's the most sophisticated sense of sight in the insect kingdom, if not the world.
>> Anonymous
Sacculina are pretty freaky.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacculina
>> HarblongCassidy !KzfKdB2Xmc
It's lupus.
>> Anonymous
>>49173
Spookiest thing I've ever read.