When Temnothorax nylanderi ant larvae eat woodpecker droppings, they can get infected with the tapeworm Anomotaenia brevis — which brings unusual side-effects:
Infected ants start to change color, becoming pale yellow rather than their usual darker brown. They tend not to grow as big as their nest mates, and even start to smell different — in fact, they seem to emit pheromones that other ants interpret as being from a queen.
Infected ants, meanwhile, lean into their new lifestyle. They ignore their chores, rarely leaving the nest during their extended lifespans while generations of regular workers tend to their every whim.
And throughout all this, the tapeworm larvae are just biding their time. Eventually, a woodpecker may come knocking, and while the healthy ants scatter, the infected ones sit there helpless, providing an easy snack.
Finally, the tapeworm larvae can reach their ultimate goal: the bird’s gut. There, they develop into adult tapeworms, breed, and lay eggs — which are then pooped out by the woodpecker to begin the whole cycle over again.
Their extended lifespans can be 10 times as long as normal.