Parasitic Fungus (Akanthomyces aculeatus)

This spooooky Parasitic Fungus (Akanthomyces aculeatus) was spotted on the corpse of a moth, laid to rest on the trunk of an oak tree in the forest. This nightmare fuel fungi reproduces asexually by cloning itself using spores called conidia. It infects the living moth, causing an illness that eventually kills its host. From the cadaver sprouts milky yellow spikes that are covered in a powder, more spores, which will be spread to the next victim. 

Photo by Bracken Brown.