The Cordyceps Fungi, Creates Real Life Zombies
In The Cordyceps Fungi, Creates Real Life Zombies, narrator Sir David Attenborough examines the thousands of different types of Cordyceps fungi. Learn how colonies must remove ants infected with Cordyceps because eventually, fruit from the fungus erupts from the ant's head, and deadly spores burst from the tip. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Advisory: Contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
Sir David Attenborough celebrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this epic documentary series, filmed over four years across 64 different countries. Learn more.
Lesson Express
Q: Where do most of the world’s insects live?
A: Eighty per cent of the world’s insects live in jungles.
Q: What does the colony do when an ant becomes infected with the fungi?
A: Worker ants carry the infected ant far from the colony and leave it there.
Q: How do the fungi help diversity in the jungle?
A: The parasites stop any one group of animals from taking over.
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In Watch a Life Built on Decay in the Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough notes that the nutrient recycling rate in rainforests happens faster than anywhere else. Learn how slime mold, fungi, and beetle larvae interact to decompose leaf litter. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Watch a Life Built on Decay in the Rainforests, narrator Sir David Attenborough notes that the nutrient recycling rate in rainforests happens faster than anywhere else. Learn how slime mold, fungi, and beetle larvae interact to decompose leaf litter. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.