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Parasite Turns Host Into Bodyguard

By Alex in Animal, Science & Tech on Jun 10, 2008 at 4:41 am


Scientists have known for a while that parasites can induce "behavioral modification" in its hosts – but this one is new: a parasite that turns its host into a bodyguard!

Inside the caterpillar host, a cruel drama takes place: the eggs of the parasitoid hatch and the larvae feed on the body fluids of the host. The caterpillar continues feeding, moving and growing like its unparasitized brothers and sisters. When the parasitoid larvae are full-grown, they emerge together through the host’s skin, and start pupating nearby. Unlike many other combinations of host and parasitoid, the host remains alive but displays spectacular changes in its behaviour: it stops feeding and remains close to the parasitoid pupae. Moreover, it defends the parasitoid pupae against approaching predators with violent head-swings.

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(Photo: José Lino-Neto; Grosman et al. )


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COMMENT
  1. Jason E.
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 6:39 am

    sounds like what my best friends ex-wife did to him.

  2. Justin
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 9:08 am

    Mother Nature is a cruel mistress!

  3. Atila
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am

    I have uploaded the article videos of the infected and uninfected caterpillars and posted on my blog:
    http://rainhadecopas.org/evolucao/protegendo-seu-assassino/

  4. Ali S.
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    This is up there with that creepy bug that causes bugs, mice, and other animals to commit suicide so it can move up the food chain. Brrr.

  5. kid_icarus
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    that kind of reminds me of the movie alien resurrection....

  6. DOJ
    Jun 10th, 2008 at 5:39 pm

    "go to the Brain Slug planet and walk around not wearing any helmets"

  7. Tom Clix
    Jun 12th, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    GAH!
    Weird... Ass... THING!!!

  8. RICK
    Aug 21st, 2008 at 12:16 am

    The "Gift of Fear" in the title refers to the intuitive ability of human beings that allows them to detect danger quickly, without conscious, logical thought. There's some good stuff in the book about how to recognize intuition, and also (in the very last chapter) how to distinguish real fear of real dangers from worry about hypothetical dangers. If you enjoyed reading The "Gift Of Fear" i recomend reading Gavin De Beckers new book " Just 2 Seconds". I was intrigued by the title “Just 2 Seconds” and having read DeBecker's "Gift of Fear" couldn't wait to read his insights on this fascinating subject. "Just 2 Seconds" did not disappoint. Within a few sentences, I found myself hooked. This book provides numerous insights on protecting public figures. I've recommended this book to many friends and each has agreed with my assessment. If you're in the protection, security, or law enforcement business, this book is a MUST HAVE! Gavin de Becker, Tom Taylor and Jeff Marquart understand the topic and present the material in a way that the reader can easily understand and digest!

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