Ant killed by a parasitic fungus in a tropical rainforest. There are several fungi that are parasitic on insects in this manner. An example is the Cordyceps fungus, which releases airborne spores which infect and slowly destroy the bodies of insects. The fungus can sometimes (as here) alter the behaviour of its host before killing it, ensuring the insect will die on a leaf high in a tree or in another high place, enabling the spores of the fungus to be spread easily to infect other insects. Photographed in Ecuador.