Shooting great documentary footage requires some luck, and a BBC nature series hit the jackpot while filming in Northern Ireland in 2021. As Popular Science reports, a team of scientists working on Winterwatch discovered a new type of fungus that zombifies its spider hosts.

While filming a documentary in Northern Ireland, a team of scientists discovered a new fungus that appears to manipulate spiders’ behavior–and turn them into “zombies.” The fungus named Gibellula attenboroughii is described in a study published January 24 in the journal Fungal Systematics and Evolution.

It's the stuff of nightmares - or even the hit TV show and video game The Last of Us: a novel fungus that turns its hosts into "zombies". Thankfully, so far, it's only been found in spiders located in several cave systems across the island of Ireland,

Scientists identified a new fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii, infecting cave spiders in Ireland. The fungus manipulates spider behavior, resembling "zombie-ant fungi." Dr. Harry Evans, Emeritus Fellow at CAB International,