Parasites encourage cannibalism in some animals, say scientists
Parasites may be responsible for encouraging some animals to engage in cannibalism, claims a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Scientists investigating the effects of the common parasite Pleistophora mulleri found that adult shrimps infected with the creature were more likely to eat their young than uninfected adults were. The shrimp were already known to be occasional cannibals, but the presence of parasites significantly increased the chances of this happening.
the parasites invade hosts in their millions
The parasite in question is incredibly small (about the size of a human red blood cell) and moves into the shrimp’s muscles like a spore. These parasites don’t make much of a difference in small numbers,…
Source:: The Verge
