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🐙 Cell & Organismal Biology

Zombie Ant Fungus

The zombie ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a species complex) infects carpenter ants in tropical forests and manipulates them to climb and die in a spot ideal for the fungus to spread.

2 min read • Updated October 2026 • Knowledge Wiki • AI-Assisted & Human-Supervised

The zombie ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a species complex) infects carpenter ants in tropical forests and manipulates them to climb and die in a spot ideal for the fungus to spread. It is one of the best-known examples of parasitic behavior manipulation.

Photo of Zombie Ant Fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) — 📷 Photo: This image was created by use… via Wikimedia Commons • CC BY-SA 3.0

🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Zombie Ant Fungus in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Opisthokonta lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.

The Death Grip: What Does the Fungus Do?

An infected ant leaves its colony, climbs a plant stem to a height that suits the fungus, and clamps its jaws onto a leaf vein just before dying, often near midday. A stalk then emerges from the back of the ant's head and releases spores to rain on ants below.

Not Brain Control, Exactly

Studies of infected ants show that fungal cells fill the body and surround muscle fibers but do not invade the brain. The fungus seems to manipulate the ant's muscles directly, perhaps by releasing chemicals that act on the nervous system. Each ant species is attacked by its own fungal species.

Defenses of the Colony

Healthy ants remove infected nestmates and the fungus rarely devastates a colony. Ant behavior and the fungus are an example of a long coevolutionary relationship. See Natural selection.