Ophiocordyceps unilateralis

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a parasitic fungus that infects ants, primarily targeting tropical rainforest species. After infecting an ant, the fungus takes over its nervous system, compelling the ant to leave its usual habitat and climb to a high point. There, the ant bites down firmly on a leaf and dies. The fungus then grows rapidly inside the dead ant’s body, eventually sprouting a stalk that releases spores to infect new ants nearby. This process effectively turns the ant into an unwitting host, facilitating the fungus’s reproductive cycle.