It not only eats its victim from the inside out, it also uses a biological weapon to paralyse it and turn it into a zombie

A spectacular case of a parasite manipulating its host involves a tiny wasp named Dinocampus coccinellae, which lays its eggs in ladybirds.

After eating the ladybird from within, the larva emerges to pupate, and somehow compels its host to stand over it protectively until the adult hatches a week later.

• 10 real-life zombies: These deadly brain-hijacking parasites can create suicidal rats, pulsating snails, dancing fish – and can even infect humans

Biologists have now found that the parasite relies on highly specialised assistance.

• "It causes confusion, comas, and extreme daytime sleepiness and without treatment, it is generally fatal" 10 deadliest, most terrifying parasites on the planet

The wasp harbours a virus, which, once transferred to the ladybird with the egg, accumulates in the victim’s brain and paralyses it.

Nolwenn Dheilly, one of the scientists involved, said “We strongly believe that such three-way systems are extremely common, and that many parasites use microbes as biological weapons to modify the host to their advantage,” she said.

• Cordyceps and Orphiocordyceps: the zombie fungi made famous by The Last of Us
• Meet the green banded broodsac, a deadly - and frankly - weird zombie parasite that turns a snail’s eyestalks into colourful, pulsating glowsticks
• 5 horrifyingly gruesome, grisly animals that kill and eat their prey from the inside out