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A fungus named after Sir David Attenborough zombifies cave spiders

Gibellula attenboroughii was spotted by a BBC documentary team

An upside-down spider with its body covered in a fuzzy white fungus.

A spider with an early infection from the fungus Gibellula attenboroughii hangs from the ceiling of a cave in the Republic of Ireland.

Tim Fogg

By McKenzie Prillaman

A newly discovered fungus — named after naturalist Sir David Attenborough — transforms cave spiders into zombies. The species (Gibellula attenboroughii) forces reclusive arachnids into exposed areas, likely to benefit the dispersal of spores, researchers report January 24 in Fungal Systematics and Evolution.