Bizarre new spider found in Amazon rainforest looks exactly like a zombie fungus

Scientists have discovered a bizarre new spider species in the Amazon rainforest that masterfully mimics a dead, zombie-like fungus to trick predators

Liam Randall News Reporter

19:51, 08 Jun 2026Updated 19:51, 08 Jun 2026

[Scientists have discovered a bizarre new spider lurking in the Amazon rainforest]

Scientists have discovered a bizarre new spider lurking in the Amazon rainforest(Image: Daz-Guevara)

Scientists have discovered a bizarre new spider lurking in the Amazon rainforest - and it looks exactly like a zombie fungus. The eight-legged creepy-crawly was spotted deep in Ecuador's jungle, clinging upside down to a leaf.

At first glance, researchers thought they had just stumbled across an ordinary mushroom. But when they got a closer look, the weird growth turned out to be a terrifying, never-before-seen species of spider playing hide-and-seek.

The nightmare-inducing critter has been officially named Taczanowskia waska, and it is the first spider ever caught mimicking Gibellula - a real-life "zombie" parasite that infects and kills spiders before bursting out of their bodies.

[The eight-legged creepy-crawly was spotted deep in Ecuador's jungle]

The eight-legged creepy-crawly was spotted deep in Ecuador's jungle(Image: Getty Images)

To pull off the look, the sneaky spider has grown strange, elongated lumps on its belly and turned a pasty pale colour to match the fungal growth.

By staying completely still under leaves where the killer fungus grows, the master of disguise easily fools hungry predators into thinking it's a dead, rotten snack.

It also lets the arachnid ambush its own unsuspecting prey.

[Experts made the shock discovery during a night-time trek through the Llanganates-Sangay Corridor]

Experts made the shock discovery during a night-time trek through the Llanganates-Sangay Corridor(Image: Getty Images)

Experts from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) made the shock discovery during a night-time trek through the Llanganates-Sangay Corridor - a notorious hotspot for rare wildlife.

The scientific breakthrough actually started on the citizen-science app iNaturalist, after sharp-eyed internet users noticed a photo of what looked like a mushroom was actually a hidden predator.

Arachnid expert Nadine Duprr, from the Museum of Nature Hamburg at the LIB, helped crack the case by comparing the new beast to historical specimens in scientific vaults.

She said: "Finds like these demonstrate the value of scientific collections. They enable us to classify new species and compare them with historical specimens.

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"Combined with international collaboration and citizen science, this opens up new opportunities for researching biodiversity."

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