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Name : Green - banded broodsac ( Leucochloridium paradoxum )
Where it lives : Europe , North America and Japan
An amber snail infected with the green-banded broodsac (Leucochloridium paradoxum) parasite.
What it eats : Waste in the digestive tracts of bird , before it is excreted
Why it ’s awesome : This parasitic flatworm is advantageously bonk for creating disco music zombies : It takes over the bodies of amber snails ( Succinea ) by shin into their eyestalks and forcing them to trip the light fantastic toe to attract birds ' attention .
A escargot first arrive into link withL. paradoxumvia bird droppings , which contain the ballock of the green - band broodsac . Upon brood , the larvae move to the tentacle of the escargot and make a sac . As this matures , it grows and replaces the eyestalk of the escargot , effectively blinding it and keep it from draw the tentacle back into its organic structure .
Related : Horrifying photograph captures moment parasitic fungus bursts from immense spider ’s body
It also becomes colorful and quiver ata rate of 60 to 80 contractions per mo , creating a disco - like vibe .
The broodsac also take aim over the snail ’s brain . As aneuroparasite , it infect the nervous system of its mollusc host andcontrols its behaviour . The escargot is then forced to go to well - lit and more - let on areas , such as the airfoil of a leaf , where it calculate tantalizingly like a cat to unsuspicious chick .
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Once ingested , the sponge matures into an adult , mates with other adult and bring on egg that are released into the shuttle ’s droppings , kicking off the cycle again .
If the escargot is favorable , only its tentacle is taken by the shuttle . In that typeface , the escargot remains unreasoning until the tentacle regrow — intend it can be reinfected and again act as a host for the parasite .
