Look: 50-million-year-old fossil captures a parasitic phenomenon

Here’s a gnarly way to die: infected by a parasite that sprouts a mushroom from your rectum.

But parasitic fungi aren’t just a thing of the past.

Ever heard of zombie ants? That’s the nickname given to carpenter ants that fall victim to a genus of fungi known as Ophiocordyceps.

Before the ant meets its inevitable death, the fungus hijacks its muscular functions. This causes the ant to mull around in a zombified state, acting erratically and separating itself from the colony.

While it has a similar parasitic tendency as Ophiocordyceps, the fossilized fungus described in the paper represents a newly-discovered genus and species of fungi.

The researchers named it Allocordyceps baltica.

It’s preserved in amber that is nearly 50 million years old — meaning ants and fungi have a relationship that goes way back.

The big difference between Allocordyceps and Ophiocordyceps: the ancient fungus grows from the ant’s rectum, while the ones we see today usually target the head or neck.