science on Instagram: "The mantis parasite usually refers to the horsehair worm (Nematomorpha) - a parasitic worm that infects insects like praying mantises, crickets, and grasshoppers. The worm's larvae develop inside the host's body, absorbing nutrients and growing several times longer than the host itself. When fully grown, the parasite controls the host's behavior, forcing it to jump into water. Once in water, the worm emerges from the host's body, completing its life cycle and leaving the h