Zombie Snails

Humankind has been familiar to zombie apocalypse scenarios for decades and probably centuries, but has neglected the actual possibility of one happening. In our surroundings, however, creatures are turned into will-less victims by extraordinary parasites and fungi. These take over their hosts’ bodies, and get them to commit actions unlikely for the species affected and use them as servants. Is it possible for these parasites and fungi to evolve and start affecting humans? One of the parasites responsible for action controlling a certain type of snails is the flatworm Leucochloridium Paradoxum. It enters the snail, as the snail eats a bird dropping. The worm develops two sack-like objects, called sporocysts, which fill the snail’s tentacles and pulsate in bright colors. There are two theories concerning this example. The first one is that the parasite controls the nervous system of the snail, and it makes it go to the top of plants (NatGeoWild “World’s Deadliest – Zombie Snails”). The second one says that the sporocysts blind the snail and the lack of light

It raised interested in a realistic and explained apocalypse. We can relate the fungus from “The Last of Us” to fungi called Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis (Vsauce. “Could We Be The Last of Us?” ). This fungus’ spores enter an ant’s body and completely take over its nervous system. It makes the ant climb up somewhere high. At a certain point, it dies and and attaches to a leaf. Slowly, a fungus grows out from the ant’s head. When it grows completely, the fungus releases spores, meant to infect entire colonies. Considering the fact that many diseases have evolved from other animals to us, it is quite possible that this fungus can evolve to affect our behavior (Evans, Harry C., Simon L. Elliot, and David P. Hughes. "Ophiocordyceps