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Zombie Ants


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9 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Thunder_Birds - Posted February 8 2021 - 8:54 AM

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So, in biology class today we learned about Protists, and Fungi is classified in the family of Protists. And our teacher told us that there is this Fungus called, Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis that apparently can grow off of ants, which gets into their brain, and turns them into "Zombie Ants." Thought that was interesting.  


#Ants4Life


#2 Offline NickAnter - Posted February 8 2021 - 8:56 AM

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Yep, a common Eastern Camponotus, Camponotus chromaiodes can be infected by these Cordyceps fungi.


  • TennesseeAnts and Thunder_Birds like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#3 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted February 8 2021 - 9:24 AM

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I think many people on here know about that. Thank God it doesn't happen in captivity. I mean, maybe it can, but I don't think it has happened before.



#4 Offline antsandmore - Posted February 8 2021 - 9:55 AM

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I think many people on here know about that. Thank God it doesn't happen in captivity. I mean, maybe it can, but I don't think it has happened before.

I'm pretty sure it can happen if the fungus happens to be brought along inside dirt or any other substrate/media that can be housing the certain species of ants. But yes, thankfully it is very rare.


Ants I am keeping:

 none for now, planning on being more active this year


#5 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted February 8 2021 - 10:01 AM

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is it green and a blueish color by chance?


We don’t talk about that

#6 Offline Thunder_Birds - Posted February 8 2021 - 10:14 AM

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is it green and a blueish color by chance?

Not sure, but like brown or white? It like grows out of the ant like a little tree. 


#Ants4Life


#7 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted February 8 2021 - 3:22 PM

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I have cultured some fungus that thrives in moist environments-soil in test tube that apparently like lasius claviger of all species, its a nice blue green color and I actually am keeping it, I say it likes lasius claviger because I had the same soil in a different test tube and that did not occur.


We don’t talk about that

#8 Offline steelplant - Posted February 8 2021 - 7:02 PM

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I grew some cordyceps a couple of years back. It never got beyond the petri dishes thankfully but was freakish looking stuff. I destroyed it so it couldn't infect anything.

#9 Offline gs5248 - Posted February 17 2021 - 6:00 PM

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Good idea, Though corticeps is pretty specialized, and usually won't infect more than a specific species of ant.



#10 Offline steelplant - Posted February 18 2021 - 1:58 PM

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I remember it did fruit (produce mushrooms) in the petri dishes. As long as it gets the right nutrition, it doesn't actually need an insect. Not sure if that happens in the wild though.




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