"Zombies" of the Animal World


stomach drawing
just in time for Halloween, National Geographic brings humans face to face with animal "zombies" of a "freakish world where parasites compel their hosts to do their bidding." Three graphic novellas on the National Geographic website tell eerie stories of parasites and the real "walking dead" they prey on and live off.

The novellas On Sinister Pond, The Case of the Fearless Rat and The Sting of Doom feature creatures that invade animals' brains and other body parts to change their hosts' behavior—all to the parasites' advantage. The novellas are linked to the "Mindsuckers" article in National Geographic magazine's November issue.

Explore parasites—including those that could live in your body or your pet's—and discover how they survive and conquer in Howtosmile.org activities like A Model Parasite, Parasite Sleuth, and Pet Parasite Detective. In the "gross" Traveling Tapeworm activity, make a life-size model of a human digestive tract, and follow the life of a beef tapeworm as it makes its way through.