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The oldest evidence of a fungus that turns ants into zombies and makes them stagger to their death has been uncovered by scientists. Evidence of the parasitism was found on a fossilized leaf that grew in the Messel Pit, located in Germany, and was discovered by the University of Exeter's Dr. David P. Hughes, who studies parasites that can take over the minds of their hosts. Hughes, along with Conrad Labandeira from the Smithsonian Institution and Torsten Wappler of the Steinmann Institute in Germany, noticed that the 48-million-year-old fossilized leaf had a scar similar to the leaf scars left by the today’s “zombie ants.”

The fungus, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, makes ants leave their colonies and head for a leaf that provides the ideal conditions for the parasite to reproduce.

When the "zombie" ant gets there, it bites down hard on the major vein of the leaf in a "death grip," so when the ant dies its body remains, giving the fungus time to grow and release spores to infect other ants.

The death grip bite leaves a very distinct scar on the leaves, the researchers say, and they found clear evidence of it on a 48-million-year-old fossilized leaf specimen from Germany.

"This can happen en masse. You can find whole graveyards with 20 or 30 ants in a square metre. Each time, they are on leaves that are a particular height off the ground and they have bitten into the main vein before dying," said David Hughes at Harvard University. Scientists are not clear how the fungus controls the ants it infects, but know that the parasite releases alkaloid chemicals into the insect as it consumes it from the inside.

'Zombie Ants' Created by Parasite Existed 50 Million Years Ago