The astonishing adventures of the lancet liver fluke
Posted: November 6th, 2003 Comments OffEugene Volokh (via Aaron) discusses parasites that alter their host’s behaviour to suit, which reminds me of the remarkable lancet liver fluke (dicrocoelium dentriticum).
It has a bizarrely convoluted life-cycle which involves three different hosts, all of which are traversed in different ways. This diagram gives a brief overview, but doesn’t mention the best bit – the fluke gives the ant a lobotomy so as to make it move to the top of the grass and get eaten by a mammal. Evolution doesn’t half take some chances.
