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Zombie snail!

OMG I just found out what the cute looking and brightly coloured antennae are all about.

The snail has been infected by a parasitic flatworm that uses it as an intermediate host. It infects the antennae with it's brood sac which is brightly coloured with conspicuous pulsating bands. It also makes the snails move towards light so it climbs to a more conspicuous position(in this case it was moving up a reed). The object is to get it eaten by a bird, the next host in the life cycle.

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Uploaded on August 28, 2012
Taken on August 24, 2012