It seems like life is imitating art in the worst way possible, because this week scientists discovered a brand-new type of wasp and named it after a character from Harry Potter. Which sounds pretty cool, sure, until you realize that the wasp can suck out your soul and turn you into a brainless zombie. And it’s called the “Dementor Wasp.”
A new paper by Michael Ohl in PLoS ONE discusses the newly-named wasp; native to Thailand, the Berlin Natural History Museum put the name up to a vote for visitors, and the masses settled on “Ampulex Dementor.” And it’s pretty fitting.
The wasp kills its insect victims by delivering toxic stings directly to their heads, injecting their brains with a neurotoxin that makes the victim completely submissive to the wasp’s will. The wasp then leads their new zombie-friend back to their wasp lair, at which point the wasp lays eggs inside its insect victim. The eggs feed off the insect carcass until they hatch.
So, you know. That’s maybe even a little bit worse than Dementors, who only suck out your soul, and will probably not lay eggs inside of you. Probably.
(via The Independent)
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