this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2024
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Creepy Wikipedia

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Leucochloridium paradoxum - Parasitic worm that infects snails, manipulating their eye stalks to resemble caterpillars which attracts birds to eat them (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by decadentrebel@lemmy.world to c/creepywikipedia@lemmy.world
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[โ€“] decadentrebel@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think you're just focusing on the pooping cycle. The part where the parasite possesses the snail and creates this elaborate display with the eyes to draw its real intended host/target is what's fascinating.

[โ€“] frankenswine@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

i don't think so (: toxoplasma IIRC alters a host's behavior in favor of cats, so that it can infect those - since cats are the only ones it can reproduce in. not as colorful and funky as the exapmle here, but similarly clever/complex