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Parasitic Wasp (Glyptapanteles)
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Jul 16, 2025
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When an adult female wasp of a certain
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type crawls into a caterpillar and lays
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her eggs inside, things get dark really
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fast. Welcome to my channel. Today,
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we'll meet a terrifying parasite that
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turns ants into zombies.
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But first, let's do some science. The
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female wasp is a parasite known as a
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glyphotentis. And when she finds a
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suitable host, usually a moth
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caterpillar, she crawls inside and lays
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a few dozen eggs, then dies.
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Shortly thereafter, little heads pop out
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of the caterpillar, munching on their
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snack. But they don't eat so much that
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they kill the caterpillar right away.
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That would be too easy. No, these
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voracious little guys slowly feed on
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their host, taking their time. And after
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about a week, when they're nice and fat,
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they chew a hole out of the caterpillar,
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allowing them to wiggle free. But before
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leaving, they each lay an egg inside the
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host, then seal up the hole with their
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little bodies. One or two larae stay
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behind, completely enclosed in a layer
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of caterpillar skin. The now empty shell
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of the wasp also stays behind as extra
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protection. And here's where things get
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freaky. The larae that stayed behind
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start to take control of the
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caterpillar. They pro it with their
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little legs, chemicals, and the
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caterpillar does what it's told. It
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starts thrashing around wildly. This
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zombified behavior is called mind
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control, and it's all thanks to the
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wasps eggs. But how exactly does this
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work? There are two main factors at
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play. First off, the wasp injects
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polyinoviruses along with its eggs,
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which weakens the caterpillar's immune
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system and prevents it from attacking
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the larve. Secondly, these viruses help
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reprogram the caterpillar's brain,
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allowing the parasites to influence its
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behavior. With its new zombie
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controller, the caterpillar no longer
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eats or moves around like a normal
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larvae. It just stands guard over the
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pupating larae, lashing out violently at
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anything that gets too close. This
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behavior stops the larae from being
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attacked by other insects or parasites,
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increasing their chances of survival to
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adulthood. And the caterpillar usually
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dies shortly after the larae finish
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metamorphosis,
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either from starvation or damage done
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while thrashing around. So, the ultimate
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sacrifice to raise the next generation
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of parasites. These creatures have been
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found in Central and South America as
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well as parts of Asia and Australia.
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They belong to a large family of
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parasettoid wasps called breakin a day
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which contain thousands of species.
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Scientists are fascinated by these wasps
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because they display some of the most
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extreme examples of parasetism known and
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they're currently studying them to
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better understand how parasites behave,
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how they suppress their host's immune
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system, and even how they chemically
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control their hosts. Some species are
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being looked into as a way to control
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pests. Since the gipantellas can lay
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their eggs inside specific caterpillars
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that are known to destroy crops, they
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could potentially be used to limit the
3:00
damage done by these pests. So, though
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the idea of a parasite turning its host
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into a zombie is terrifying, there may
3:07
be a method to this madness. We need
3:09
only look at the incredible diversity of
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life on Earth to see just how brilliant
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nature can be. even if it means that
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sometimes the very dead will rise again.
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All right, back to the show. These wasps
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are only one example of a parasite
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turning its host into a zombie. Another
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famous example is the Lancet liver
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fluke, which can infect ants and make
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them act like they've been bitten by a
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zombie ant. So, if you want to learn
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more about how parasites manipulate
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their hosts, click the link provided.
3:39
Also, be sure to subscribe to my channel
3:41
for fun facts every day on Wild but
3:44
True. You can help us grow and reach
3:46
more people, which allows us to keep
3:48
making videos like this one. Thanks for
3:50
watching and learning with us. See you
3:52
next time on Wild But True with Malcolm
3:54
Walker.
#Biological Sciences
#Ecology & Environment