Scientists in Brazil have found a new fungi that kills carpenter ants. This unique fungi kills ants when they bite into a leaf vein consisting of poison. Their jaws lock and they die. This fungi has numerous spores that differ from each other so it has a better chance of effecting their hosts efficiently. These spores can latch onto the exoskeleton of an ant and grow a stalk in the ant's head which alters its behavior. The ant then crawls down from the tree to the forest floor where conditions are warmer and more favorable for the fungi, and the fungus develops a fruiting body with spores that go on to effect more ants. Ouch.
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