This dangerous parasite can turn snails into real zombies and can infect birds too!

One of the slowest moving creatures in our world, the snails become the hosts of a ghostly parasite that turns them into zombies. This isn't an episode out of some horror movie but a truth that happens around us! This parasite has the ability to hijack the snail's brain and convert it into a puppet that dances to the parasite's tune.
This phenomenon is caused by a parasitic flatworm which is scientifically known as Leucochloridium paradoxum, or the green-banded broodsac.The lifecycle of this parasite begins when a snail ingests the parasite's eggs, found in bird droppings. These eggs then hatch into larvae inside the snail and move into the snail's eye stalks. The parasite controls the caterpillar and enters into its eyestalks causing them to swell, stripy caterpillar-like appearance. The pulsating effect of the caterpillar's eyes is just not for show, it is very similar to the appearance of a tasty insect that attracts birds to the snail.


Once a bird feeds on the snail that is infected, the parasite completes its cycle by moving into the bird's digestive system. It grows and matures in the bird, producing eggs that are excreted back into the environment, where they will infect more snails. This cycle of infection and manipulation is just like the macabre dance of survival, with the snail and the bird both playing roles in the life story of the parasite.


However, the green-banded brood sac does not stop at snails. Birds are also potential victims of this parasitic puppet master. Infected birds display signs of stress such as inconsistent behavior or lack of activity due to the parasite's influence on their bodies. As a result, the effects on the populations of birds are severe, since the parasite can easily multiply in ecosystems and affect snails and birds.
Biologist Tomasz Wesołowski of Poland’s Wrocław University says the process begins when the eaten egg turns into a sporocyst, “which looks like a bunch of whitish tissue, seated mostly in the liver of the snail. And then it grows like a tumour, more or less.” Unlike many parasitic worms that have a mouth, it doesn't have a mouth. Instead, it absorbs the snail's hard-earned nutrients through its skin.