u/jungl

Spotted this amber snail in my greenhouse a few days ago and noticed its tentacle was pulsating like crazy.

Turns out it’s infected by Leucochloridium paradoxum, a parasitic flatworm. The parasite grows inside the snail's eyestalks and pulses to mimic a juicy caterpillar, trying to trick birds into eating it. It also mind-controls the snail to climb up into the open instead of hiding in the shade, making it an easy target. Once a bird eats it, the parasite reproduces in its gut, and the eggs spread through the bird's droppings to infect new snails.

Apparently, there are only around 25 registered sightings of this parasite here in Norway, so I was pretty blown away to just stumble into one. Absolutely wild to see in person.