Leucochloridium paradoxum parasitizes snails of the family Succineidae.
Its life cycle begins when a bird excretes the parasite’s eggs in its droppings, which are then eaten by a snail. The eggs develop inside the snail, and once they reach a certain stage, they manipulate the snail to climb higher up, where it becomes more visible to birds. The parasites move into the snail’s tentacles, where their coloration, shape, and pulsating movements mimic caterpillars, increasing the chance that a bird will eat them.
L. paradoxum does not literally take over the snail’s “mind,” but causes its zombification, as the snail behaves against its natural instincts, enabling the parasite’s transfer to its final host. When a bird eats the infected snail, the parasites mature in its digestive tract and produce eggs, which are then excreted again—ready to infect another snail.
This process illustrates the complex interaction between parasite and host and reveals remarkable survival strategies in nature.
The green-striped mammal was observed in Notranjska Park in July 2024. This is most likely the first known recorded note of the parasitic species Leucochloridium paradoxum in Slovenia. In Europe we know two other species: Leucochloridium perturbatum, which has brown rings, and Leucochloridium variae, which is a Nearctic species.
Note prepared by Primož Žižek, biologist on the LIFE FOR SEEDS project.
