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 Zombie ants, slime balls a' la carte. - it just doesn't get any better than this. This article is part of our series on Evolve this, where we explore the wide variety of God's creation and ask the simple question how in the world could this have evolved. The fact is it couldn't have.
My son and I were watching TV when we came across a program about the life cycle of the small liver fluke. Its life cycle leaves your head shaking and of course a closer look begs the question how on earth did this evolve. Of course, it didn't it's simply another master piece of God's creation.
The small liver fluke also known as the lancet fluke is one of those little beasties that cause evolutionists nothing but trouble. It's a parasite common to North America, Europe and Asia.
Where do we begin?.
The zombie ant
Perhaps one of the most unusual influences of this microscopic parasite is the effect it has on ants. The ants eat the cercaria of the fluke which is essentially the fluke in its adolescent stage. Well, they don't really eat it, but we will get to that in the moment.
Once ingested one or two cercaria -- call them the pilot and co-pilot -- make there way from the ant's stomach to its brain. Once there, they burrow into the ant's brain and take control.
At this point, the ant enters into what can only be described as a zombie-like state. It acts completely out of character for the ant.
When the weather cools off ants normally head underground deep into the nest, but not those being piloted by cercaria. They crawl to the top of a leaf of grass, clamp on with their manacles and just hang there. Note: the ant doesn't clamp on ground debris or sticks, it crawls up the leaf before it clamps.
Zombie ants prefer the view at the top of the leaf and there the cercaria sits and waits.
So why does the cercaria want the ant to do this?. Well the answer is very simple -- the cercaria wants the ant to be eaten, so the fluke can enter its adult stage.
Clamped on top of the blade of grass, the ant is in prime position to be eaten by any animal that enjoys eating grass -- sheep, cattle, rabbits -- the list is endless.
Now for a bit of liverworth
Once ingested, the cercaria is ready to enter its adult stage. Inside the stomach of its new host, the cercaria leaves the ant's brain, pulls out its compass and makes a beeline towards the liver of the animal via its intestines and bile ducts.
The Lancet Fluke is now ready to set up house. Inside the liver, the cercaria it grows into the adult fluke and begins to lay eggs. This whole process takes about eight weeks.
However, as every self-respecting fluke knows the liver is no place to raise a family, so the eggs are sent on a trip to the country.
Once the eggs are laid, they pass out of the liver via the bile duct into the intestines. From there they are deposited on the ground in the feces of the animal.
It's time for slime
So you are probably thinking the ants show up now, right? Nope, not yet. Lying on the ground, buried in the feces, the eggs wait to be rescued.
Now it seems, snails enjoy eating the feces of animals (remind me to pass on the escargot). When they show up to gorge on this feast, they end up eating the fluke eggs.
Once in the snail, the eggs hatch into the adolescent form which we mentioned earlier -- the cercaria.
Now the snail finds the cercaria quite irritating and covers it in snail slime. In fact it pours on multiple of coatings and finally expels the cercaria onto the ground in the form of slime balls.
Slime ball escargot
Now ask yourself one simple question -- guess who considers slime balls as nothing short of t-bone steak with mushrooms -- you guessed it, ants.
Once the ant eats the slime ball and the cycle starts again.
Source:Dicrocoelium dendriticum - The Lancet Fluke of Sheep ( Newfoundland and Labrador Agriculture)
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Apologetics 
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