Invasion of the body snatchers

I just read a wonderfully interesting and slightly gruesome article on Mental Floss about parasites that turn their hosts into 'zombies'.

The piece links to films of the parasites in action. My favourite two are Leucochloridium Paradoxom (above), which persuades snails to offer themselves as dinner to birds, and Glyptapanteles (below), a type of wasp that lays it's eggs inside caterpillars. Via the use of a virus that has been genetically modified by the wasp, the caterpillar acts as mother, food and bodyguard for the young.