Zombified Spiders

November 29, 2018 3:03 PM

Infected ‘Zombie Spiders’ Forced to Build Incubation Chambers for Their Parasitic Overlords. Parasites that control the behavior of their hosts for their own benefit are a well-documented natural phenomenon, but the discovery of a previously unknown relationship between a parasitic wasp and a social spider is particularly upsetting.

Here's a link to the original research paper, which has some interesting photos. Behavioural modificationof a social spider by a parasitoid wasp

posted by MovableBookLady (21 comments total)

Wondering when cat owners are going to come to their senses, to be honest.
posted by mhoye at 3:15 PM on November 29, 2018 [7 favorites]

Oh goody its freaky spider facts day. Neat!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 3:25 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

“The mission is for you to go to the brain slug planet.”

“What should we do there?”

“Just walk around for a while not wearing a helmet.”
posted by schadenfrau at 3:30 PM on November 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

This proliferation of posts about spiders is nothing more than viral marketing for "SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE", isn't it? “How many more Spider-People are there?”
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:32 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

"Parasites that control the behavior of their hosts for their own benefit are a well-documented natural phenomenon, but the discovery of a previously unknown relationship between a parasitic wasp and a social spider is particularly upsetting. "

Upsetting is an odd way to phrase something so cool, fascinating, and exciting. This is an amazing intersection between organisms that are all badass already by themselves. I love every element of this story. I wish humans had a parasitic predator like spiders and many other animals get to have.
posted by GoblinHoney at 3:52 PM on November 29, 2018

is particularly upsetting.

STOP READING INTO MY FEELINGS, ARTICLE

* goes back to reading *
posted by numaner at 3:55 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

Fernandez-Fournier and Straus would now like to return to the Ecuadorian forest to learn more about these diabolical wasps and their hosts.

No, scientists! That’s just what the wasps are telling you to do!
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:57 PM on November 29, 2018 [14 favorites]

well that was unpleasant and disturbing and now I want to kill all wasps.
posted by numaner at 4:04 PM on November 29, 2018

> I wish humans had a parasitic predator like spiders and many other animals get to have.

They do. They're called "other humans", and a prime example is discussed in the post immediately preceding this one.

More on topic: especially if you're on Team Spider, I would classify the relationship described in the article as pretty fuckin' upsetting.
posted by Arson Lupine at 4:13 PM on November 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

One of my favorite gardening moments was seeing a hornworm caterpillar that had been eating our tomato plants covered with a bunch of braconid wasp cocoons.
posted by exogenous at 4:43 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Man, bug life is a hard life. Most of the ways that bugs can die—eaten alive by larvae, crunched up by a gigantic monster, infected by zombie brain fungus, decapitated by your mate, ants, etc.—seem pretty horrifying. I'm glad I'm not a bug.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:48 PM on November 29, 2018 [6 favorites]

While this is nasty, I don't think it has anything on Sacculina or jewel wasps
posted by scruss at 5:14 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

While this is nasty, I don't think it has anything on Sacculina

Woah.
posted by ryanshepard at 5:33 PM on November 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

> Wondering when cat owners are going to come to their senses, to be honest.

My cat [parasitoid wasp, presidential candidate, et al.] is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful living being I've ever known in my life.
posted by cenoxo at 5:51 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I praise the use of "upsetting".
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:02 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

OK, "Sacculina at the stage of the nauplius" is my new sockpuppet account.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:11 PM on November 29, 2018

no wait it's "cyprid injecting vermigon"
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:14 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also wait the fuck it does what? This deserves its own post.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:15 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

This is all just an elaborate metaphor.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:26 PM on November 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

A Parasitic Castrator of Crabs Is the name of my emo-industrial band.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:39 PM on November 29, 2018

"Sacculina at the stage of the nauplius"

Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra.
posted by Paladin1138 at 5:35 AM on November 30, 2018 [6 favorites]