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valeria @ratleria I was telling my parents about the zombie snails and my dad was like "where did u see that movie?" IGHT IMMA HEAD OUT

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About

Zombie Snail refers to a video of a snail taken over by the parasitic worm Leucochloridium, who then controls its motor functions and uses its eye stalks and body to mimic a caterpillar so a bird will eat it. The parasite can then reproduce in the bird's digestive tract and transmit via the bird's feces. The video went viral on Twitter on August 12th, 2019, as users commented upon the horrifying nature of it.

Origin

On August 12th, 2019, Twitter user @nakamanian posted video of a snail infected with the Leucochloridium parasite (shown below).

【ＵＭＡ】内部がピストン、明らかに人を小馬鹿にした内部構造、地球外生命体か？カラフルな内部構造にワイ、雛あられ食いたくなる。 pic.twitter.com/UpeC2JTG4c
— 味噌王仲間 (@nakamanian) August 12, 2019

Later that day, Twitter user @minouyet^[1] tweeted the video, gaining over 23,000 retweets and 59,000 likes.

Precursor

On October 15th, 2012, the YouTube account for National Geographic posted a video about the "Zombie Snails" (shown below). On September 19th, 2014, Wired^[2] wrote a story about the snails, calling them "Disco Zombies."

Spread

As @nakamanian's and @minouyet's videos spread on Twitter, users began commenting upon their gross nature. Producer and DJ Snails tweeted "HOLY FUCK THATS A BIG NO FOR ME," gaining over 290 retweets and 2,000 likes (shown below, left). User @lamour tweeted that he had "called the FBI" after watching one second of the video (shown below, right).

SNAILS @snailmusic HOLY F--- THATS A BIG NO FOR ME Mike Inouye @minouye271 Aug 12 This zombie snail. A parasitic worm Leucochloridium has taken over its motor functions and eye stalks, making them into caterpillar mimics so birds will eat them. The worm can then reproduce in the bird's GI tract, eventually transmitting via its faeces wired.com/2014/09/absurd... 0:26 3.1M views 12:56 AM Aug 13, 2019 Twitter for iPhone

Joe Lamour @lamour I've seen exactly one second of that zombie snail video and have already called the FBI, come collect everyone involved officers je telephone à Ta police LOVED ONF easons2Stand 1:13 AM Aug 13, 2019 Twitter for Android

Others joked that the snail was somehow apt for 2019. Twitter user @sophiescott made the joke, gaining over 110 retweets and 400 likes (shown below, left). User @upulie made a similar joke, gaining over 60 retweets and 450 likes (shown below, right). The video was covered by AV Club^[3] and its reactions were covered by Twitter Moments.^[4]

STEMLORD @upulie zombie snail is a psychedelic eldritch horror 2019 mascot Twitter Web Client 12:40 AM Aug 13, 2019

On August 14th, Instagram user @csirogram reposted the snail video, gathering mroe than 32,000 views over the next two weeks.

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ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOSNAIL! 🐌⠀ ⠀ Think this groovy guy is having a great time? Think again.⠀ ⠀ Succinea (amber snails) are often hosts to a parasitic flatworm called Leucochloridium paradoxum. The flatworm takes control of the motor neurons in snail’s eye stalks to create these pulsating patterns.⠀ ⠀ The patterns of the “zombie snail” mimic a caterpillar, in a bid to attract hungry birds flying by. All in the hopes that a bird will snatch up the eye-catching snack and provide the flatworm with a cozy intestinal tract where it can reproduce.⠀ ⠀ All is not lost! Incredibly, the host snails can survive this ordeal thanks to regeneration. As the flatworm develops mostly in the snail’s eye stalk, it’s this portion of the snail that gets eaten by birds (they’ll pass on the shell, thanks.) The snail can then grow a new stalk and eye spot, and perhaps, start the journey again.⠀ ⠀ Footage: Lin Ruian⠀ ⠀ #csiro #zombiezombiezombieieie #snail #zombiesnail #science #welovescience #hypnotoad

A post shared by CSIRO (@csirogram) on Aug 14, 2019 at 1:50am PDT

Various Examples

Matthew Wright-Simon @ecocreative It's a weird & wonderful world. #ZombieSnail Mike Inouye @minouye271 Aug 12 This zombie snail. A parasitic worm Leucochloridium has taken over its motor functions and eye stalks, making them into caterpillar mimics so birds will eat them. The worm can then reproduce in the bird's GI tract, eventually transmitting via its faeces wired.com/2014/09/absurd... 0:27 3.1M views 6:49 AM Aug 13, 2019 from Adelaide, South Australia Twitter for iPhone

JOH-eе @JustJoeyJoeyJo Replying to @minouye 271 GIF 7:38 PM Aug 12, 2019 Twitter for Android

Andy Park @andy_park WORM: Lobbyist SNAIL: Public dept. vulnerable to privatisation BIRD: large multinational Mike Inouye @minouye271 Aug 12 This zombie snail. A parasitic worm Leucochloridium has taken over its motor functions and eye stalks, making them into caterpillar mimics so birds will eat them. The worm can then reproduce in the bird's GI tract, eventually transmitting via its faeces wired.com/2014/09/absurd... 0:27 3.2M views 6:53 PM Aug 12, 2019 Twitter for iPhone

Josh Butler @JoshButler Scientists (unimaginative): Leucochloridium Me (intellectual): Disco snail poo worm Mike Inouye @minouye271 Aug 12 This zombie snail. A parasitic worm Leucochloridium has taken over its motor functions and eye stalks, making them into caterpillar mimics so birds will eat them. The worm can then reproduce in the bird's GI tract, eventually transmitting via its faeces wired.com/2014/09/absurd... 0:27 3.2M views 8:01 PM Aug 12, 2019 Twitter for iPhone

Monique MacDonaldi @Social_Moi Zombie Snails. Yes, there is such a thing. You're welcome Mike Inouye @minouye271 Aug 12 This zombie snail. A parasitic worm Leucochloridium has taken over its motor functions and eye stalks, making them into caterpillar mimics so birds will eat them. The worm can then reproduce in the bird's GI tract, eventually transmitting via its faeces wired.com/2014/09/absurd... 0:27 3.2M views 3:17 AM Aug 13, 2019 Twitter for Android >

SCP-511 @ Commissions OPEN!!! @OliviaMeower (TW INSECTS) for people who dont know what this is, this is a parasite that takes over snail's bodies, basically turning it into a sentient zombie. It then leads the snail to the open where it can be eaten by a bird, and then the parasite lives inside the bird. pretty neat! LE1 @nakamanian Aug 12 【UMA】内部がピストン、明らかに人を小馬鹿にした内部構造、地球外生命体か?カラフルな内部構造にワイ、雛あられ食いたくなる。 0:26 1.9M views 1:03 PM Aug 12, 2019 Twitter Web App

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Twitter – @minouyet

^[2] Wired – ABSURD CREATURE OF THE WEEK THE PARASITIC WORM THAT TURNS SNAILS INTO DISCO ZOMBIES

^[3] AV Club – It is time to meet the 'zombie snail,' which is somehow even worse than it sounds

^[4] Twitter Events – 'Zombie snail' is being seen as a metaphor for 2019

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tweet about not being a fan of what is going on inside the zombie snail

Christina Rodriguez @SuperVOGirl Well I've muted my first words on twitter dot com #zombiesnail ail Sprint O 86% 8:14 PM Muted words Done @SuperVOGirl zombie snail Forever When you mute words, you won't get any new notifications for Tweets that include them or see Tweets with those words in your timeline. Learn more 8:15 PM Aug 13, 2019 Twitter for iPhone

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Zombie Snail