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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[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

After the bird eat them, they live in the bird's ass, propagating by laying eggs in the bird's poop, and the cycle begin anew.

This is probably the most sophisticated parasite I've ever known.

[–] frankenswine@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

so you never heard of toxoplasma?

[–] decadentrebel@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks 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.

[–] frankenswine@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks 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