Newly Discovered Zombie Fungus Forces Spiders to Leave Their Lairs and Die Out in the Open

Imagine being compelled to leave your comfy lair by a mind-controlling fungus that forces you to stay on a roof or wall until you die. For some spiders, this isn’t just a potential nightmare—it’s a reality.

Meet the fungus. In a new study, researchers present gibellula attenboroughii, a new parasitic fungus that has been infecting orb-weaving cave spiders in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Spiders infected with the fungus appeared to be covered in white fuzz and synnemata, the reproductive structure of some types of fungi that resembles a stalk of wheat.

The study was published online this month in Fungal Systematics and Evolution.

A mind-controlling fungus. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering how researchers could tell whether a spider was being controlled by a fungus. According to the study, the key is in the behavior of the spiders.

“The fact that Gibellula-infected spiders are found in prominent positions on the roof or ceiling of their subterranean habitats indicates a behavioural change,” they wrote.

In particular, the researchers highlight that the infected spiders had all “moved from their concealed lairs or webs and died exposed on the cave roof or wall and the store ceiling.” This location exposed the dry spores on the cadavers to the air currents in the caves, facilitating their release and spread.

The similarity to zombie ants. The researchers pointed out that the behavior of the infected spiders is similar to the one exhibited by zombie ants infected by the fungus Ophiocordyceps. Fans of The Last of Us may recognize Ophiocordyceps as the fungus that served as inspiration for the series.

The way Ophiocordyceps works is pretty disgusting. According to NPR, the fungus drains its hosts, which include both ants and spiders, of nutrients and then fills their bodies with spores so that it can reproduce. The fungus proceeds to instruct the host to seek high areas so that it can release its spores and infect other insects.

Scientists don’t quite know how Ophiocordyceps is able to control its hosts, but they have a theory.

"There seems to be some combination of physical manipulation of muscle fibers, for example, possibly growth into the brain itself, that can impact its behavior," Bryn Dentinger, a biology professor at the University of Utah, said. "But there's also very likely some sort of chemical attack on the host, either small molecules, or proteins or some other things, that end up manipulating brain behavior."

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A famous name. While the new fungus will undoubtedly gain notoriety for what it can do, its name is already a nod to the famous BBC broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. The broadcaster is well-known in the UK as the voice of its natural history programs. Attenborough also helped developed the Natural History Unit, which led to the nature series that discovered gibellula attenboroughii.

The broadcaster doesn’t only have a fungus named after him, though. He also has a constellation in shape of a whale. In total, more than 40 plants and animals are named after him.

Images | Evans HC, Fogg T, Buddie AG, Yeap YT, Araújo JPM (2025). (Edited)

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