Parasite of the Day
The Gordian Worm (also known as the horsehair worm) is, as a toddler, parasitic upon cockroaches and the like. Fully grown, it is free living, growing at an average to a length of 1 metre with a thickness of 1-3 mm. Pause for a while and imagine this - 1 m long and 3 mm thick - thats essentially something that looks like your hair but actually survives and partakes in the pleasures of conscious life.

The exciting part is the period of transition - when the larva is old enough to leave home. At this stage, it effects the host's brain in a narcotic fashion, and causes the host (assume, for the sake of illustration, a grasshopper) to believe its Nirvana lies in locating the nearest source of water and taking a dip. Unfortunately, the grasshopper does not realise that it did not learn swimming as a child and duly drowns. The worm then escapes from the body into the water and lives happily ever after to a life of debauchery and orgies, giving birth to numerous juniors that go on to provide future generation of grasshoppers with that amazing high.

Check out this quick footage of a cricket committing suicide in the interest of the Gordian community.
- posted by Rallix @ 11:15 AM