By: Olivia Ho

Little did the fruit fly know that a sinister force, a fungus called Entomophtoronra Musave, was silently infiltrating its mind as it walked leisurely on a loose apple to nibble on it. This fungus makes the fly turn into a zombie, giving it the name of Zombie Fungus.

There are many types of fungi that produce the same effect in insects and animals, Entomophtoronra Musave is just one of hundreds.

When Entomophtoronra Musave enters the fly, the fly acts normal for the first few days. During those days, the fungus feeds on the fly’s fat and starts to infiltrate its brain.

On the fourth or fifth day, the host starts acting strange. The fruit flies start to wander around mindlessly and climb to a high place, stopping at a specific point.

Suddenly the fly starts to twitch erratically, and it spits out a sticky substance which glues the fly down.

After a few minutes, the fly’s wings will shoot up, and the fly dies. However, the fungus is not done yet, little white beads start coming out of the fly’s skin.

They are tiny spore launchers; the pores shoot out more Entomophtoronra Musave in hopes of infiltrating a new host.