Quick Talez

Short stories & facts. Quick and thoughtful.

The Wasp That Uses Zombies as Nannies

Deep in the jungles of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Braconid wasp turns orb-weaving spiders into "zombie" nannies for their larvae. The wasp injects its egg into the spider, and as the larva grows, it manipulates the spider's web-building behavior to cocoon it for protection. Once complete, the larva consumes the spider and emerges into the world, leaving behind its bizarre web creation.
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