{"id":41258,"date":"2024-08-21T13:30:33","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T11:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b9a3c6bd-da5f-4d1f-868f-9b2d4c425ac6"},"modified":"2024-08-21T14:27:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T12:27:27","slug":"whats-the-biggest-parasite-in-the-world-dont-worry-its-not-as-gruesome-as-you-might-think","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/whats-the-biggest-parasite-in-the-world-dont-worry-its-not-as-gruesome-as-you-might-think\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the biggest parasite in the world? Don’t worry it’s not as gruesome as you might think…"},"content":{"rendered":"

We may think of parasites being small and microscopic, but they’re not all like that… Meet the world’s biggest parasites <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 August 2024 at 11:30 AM<\/p>

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\u00a0The word parasite alone can make your skin crawl. Parasites can be either viruses or organisms, and can be anything from inconvenient pests that don’t normally kill to mind-controlling puppet masters with (often disgusting) life strategies that have evolved to benefit themselves at the cost of others.<\/strong><\/p>

What is parasitism? <\/h2>

Parasitism<\/a> is a relationship in which one partner exploits the resources of the other. Discover the world’s most deadliest parasites<\/a><\/p>

What’s the biggest parasite?<\/h2>

A good place to look for a big parasite is in a big host. The whale tapeworms Polygonoporus spp., for example, can reach 40m in length – longer even than a blue whale<\/a>, which grows to 33m.<\/p>

However, in comparison with their hosts, horsehair worms are longer still. The larvae develop in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets<\/a> and other insects<\/a>; the adults, once matured, must disperse into freshwater to breed.<\/p>

At this stage the worm may manipulate its host, compelling it to jump into water, where the parasite – usually 30-40cm long, though it can grow to over 2m – makes a spectacular exit through the insect’s rear end.<\/p>

What worms boast in length, however, they tend to lack in volume. Sheer bulk can be found among the brood parasites. A pair of reed warblers, for example, may raise a cuckoo<\/a> chick that could be four times their own combined weight.<\/p>

Honey fungus. Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

But trumping all of these are the honey fungus<\/a> Armillaria spp<\/em>. These form subterranean networks of woody fibres that tap into tree roots and kill them. on their way. In 1992, a specimen of A.solidipes<\/em> in Washington state, USA, was found to cover 900 ha.<\/p>