Weird Facts I Learned from Books: Zombie Unicorn Caterpillar

What natural phenomenon sounds more like fantastical taxidermy than the zombie unicorn caterpillar?  

I have been rereading my collection of zombie literature.  Zombies terrify me.  They are mindless and they seem to need the thing I value most: brains.  I am sure, by now, everyone has seen the fungus which can mind control an ant on whatever meme site you favour.  Or the cockroach steered by a wasp, then buried alive to provide food for the larvae, which will hatch out of the egg she leaves there.  But have you heard of the zombie unicorn caterpillar? No joke, this actually exists.  And more than that, people have been shot over the fungus which is responsible because of its medicinal properties.  And you can read all about it in Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World and Ourselves by Matt Simon.  

Okay, so the basics.  This is another mind control fungus. It is, in fact, a relative of the fungus which controls ants.  Except this one preys on the ghost moth caterpillar.  It invaded it, consumed it, caused it to dig upwards as it dies, and then bursts forth from its head.  Ostensibly, it looks like a blade of grass, but as Simon says, as soon as you pull it up you know you aren’t dealing with a plant.  I have never done this, only seen pictures on the internet.  Pull up your favourite search engine, like the one which brought you to this site, and look for photos, seriously weird.  

But wait, there is more.  This fungus, like other fungi, according to Simon, secretes an antibiotic into its host to keep it alive long enough to complete its purpose.  In fact, we have synthesized medications from these fungi, according to Simon.  However, as Simon reports, this particular fungus has turned out to have some pretty legendary features as it is known as “the Himalayan Viagra”.   Simon recounts the actual shooting deaths which have occurred over this fungus near Tibetan villages.  And in one anecdote, Simon informs readers burglars tunnelled into a store to steal $1.5 million worth of this fungus in China.   

Well, this fungus gives new meaning to food for thought.