Cave Hijackers

In the dark caves of Northern Ireland, scientists recently discovered mind-controlling fungi that can turn cave-dwelling spiders into zombies.

The Gibellula attenboroughii – named after biologist and TV presenter Sir David Attenborough – was first spotted in 2021 when a BBC Winterwatch film crew noticed dead orb-weaving spiders covered in white filaments on the ceiling of an abandoned gunpowder store in Northern Ireland.

Samples of the infected arachnids were then sent to labs for analysis, which found that the specimens belonged to a previously unknown species of Gibellula – a genus of fungi that exclusively targets spiders, a new study showed.

Co-author and mycologist João Araújo told Science News that the poor spiders had become infected after fungal spores landed on them. Afterward, the G. attenboroughii infiltrates the spider’s body and consumes it from the inside out.

“If we cut through the infected spider, we don’t see any spider anymore,” he said. “It’s just the fungal mass inside, which is the shape of the spider.”

But the horror doesn’t stop there.

Instead of dying in their webs, the infected spiders exhibit bizarre behavior: They move away from their hidden, dark crevices and climb up cave walls and ceilings before their deaths.

The researchers suggest that this is a strategy by the fungus to spread its spores as widely as possible.

“We don’t know the mechanisms behind it,” Araújo admitted. “This species was just discovered, there is a lot to investigate about it yet.”

Similar zombifying fungi exist in nature, most famously the Ophiocordyceps species that infect ants – a real-world inspiration for video game series, now TV series, “The Last of Us.”

While the idea of mind-controlling fungi is the stuff of nightmares, these pose no threat to humans.

Instead, they serve an important role in the natural world – helping to keep spider and insect populations in check.

“They’re a predator of sorts,” forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon, who was not involved in the study, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “They don’t prowl around on four legs and chase the insects, but they are performing the same function in the ecosystem.”

The findings could also translate into practical applications of the fungus, for example such fungi could be used to protect crops from ravishing insects.

At the same time, parasitic fungi have led to medical discoveries, such as cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant used in organ transplants.

“Hopefully, there’s something in these amazing fungi that will help humans in the future medically,” cave explorer and co-author Tim Fogg told CBC.