Mushrooms grow long after turning ants into living corpses

Fungi attack the central nervous system of ants, control and use animals as food.

Danny Goodding captured the image of the mushroom Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani growing from a carpenter's identification in Mike Roess Gold Head Branch in Florida, USA, Story Trender reported on January 4. The eyes of the ants looked opaque, their legs clinging to a branch of Tillandsia usneoides.

Mushrooms grow out from carpenter ants.(Photo: Story Trender).

has the ability to attack the central nervous system and gradually control the behavior of ants, turning animals into living corpses. After controlling the central nervous system, it forced the ant to crawl out of the nest and climb the tree.

Ants use a biting jaw to tighten their branches while mushrooms continue to grow, using ants as a source of carbon food. After a while, fungi grow from the ants and release spores to cling to many other ants. The whole process can last from 4 - 10 days.

"My goal when photographing nature in general is to carve out natural moments, add a bit of artistic elements to attract people and hope they are interested in what they normally don't notice or don't want. caught in practice " , Goodding shared.

"The details in the photo, especially the eye part, make you feel closer to the ant, almost sympathetic and wondering about the feeling of the small animal," he added.