A DIFFERENT VIEW in the Darkness Amazonian

Stories

Don’t Fear the Walking Dead

The ominous hoot of the owl, and the howl of the wind. A forest of bare, tortured limbs. Halloween imagery is ubiquitous and sanitized today. In its original incarnation, Halloween was a day that marked the transition between the bountiful autumn harvests, and the long, cold dark of winter. We will know The little secrets of the darkness.

 

The boundary between the living and the dead, when the veil between this life and the next is at its thinnest. Straddling that divide, lies an organism. Undistinguished, it doesn’t carry the hallmarks of a Hallmark’s card or the pantomimed horrors of a Hollywood production.

 

Rather, it is the unsettling consumption of life before our very eyes. Robbed of agency, of what makes us human. It is us, stripped of who we are. Seen through the human lens, it is the Zombie. But before there was the Zombie, there was Cordyceps.

 

Cordyceps.

 

We have seen a world transformed this year; Macroeconomics upset by a microorganism and it’s left us unsettled. There are two narratives; one of fear and one of understanding, or as Marie Curie, the Nobel laureate in both Physics and Chemistry put it, “nothing in life is to be feared, only understood”.

The little secrets of the darkness…

The story of Cordyceps is both a homage to and a warning from nature. It begins with a fungal spore. Either fallen from the sky above or adsorbed to the feet from below, it adheres to the insect’s (or arachnid) chitinous exoskeleton. Whereupon it begins to secrete digestive enzymes, proteases, and chitinases, which slowly weaken the membrane and provide both foods for the germinating spore, and a so-called “penetration pathway”. Through a kind of mechanical pressure, a hollow tube forces its way through the dermal layers and into the insect’s hemolymph, essentially the bloodstream. From here the infection spreads throughout the host’s body.

 

Cordy fungus

 

The fungus then secretes hormones that affect the brain, ultimately controlling the behavior of the host, bending it to the will of the fungus. Or so it was thought…Until recently, this was the dominant narrative. However, new research has emerged that Cordyceps might in fact achieve host control through a more mechanical means. Electron micrographs show the fungal mycelia, long, probing, thread-like growths, wrapped around the muscles of hosts, perhaps pushing and pulling the host along, like some grotesque puppet. Infected insects move jerkily, leaving the safe confines of their nests or shelters. They venture out into the open spaces, climbing until they are well above the ground. Only then do they bite down on the stem or branch, their mandibles locked in what will be their deathly repose. Now the scene has been set, and the fungus waits only for the right environmental conditions; humidity and peak host activity.

A scary ending…

Thereupon, a shoot emerges from the head of the insect. It grows into a long stalk terminating in a sac. This sac holds millions of spores, ready to rain down upon the unsuspecting heads of a beleaguered insect populace. Day by day, month by month, in the rainforest understory the walking dead march on irrespective of calendar dates. Happy Halloween.

 

Cordy

 

By Paul Bertner

Follow Paul on Flickr 

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

Nancy Hodgson March 2026

Lesly Lagos March 2026

Batya K. February 2026

S. K. February 2026

Julian S January 2026

Flora Warfel January 2026

Julian Sack January 2026

Laura Franklin December 2025

Lee Wozencroft December 2025

Suraj Vijayan December 2025

Claudia A. January 2026

AMJNZ November 2025

This trip was the highlight of our travels through peru. The lodge was absolutely 5 stars for everything. The room, food, people. We had a private guide, Allen, who grew up locally and really had deep knowledge of the land, the history, and the variety of plant and animal species in the jungle. His knowledge and passion were invaluable to our experience. There are a variety of tour companies and lodges you can book to visit the Amazon, however, I would only recommend Rainforest Expeditions as they are truly connected to the community and offer high quality first class amazon experience! Read all

We had a truly wonderful stay with Rainforest Expeditions. Everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming, and our guide was fantastic — very knowledgeable and passionate about the rainforest. We saw many animals, even from the boat, which made the experience unforgettable. Read all

I just spent 3 days here with my family. The research center surpassed all our expectations. I want to give a special shout out to Carlos who took such good care of us. He went above and beyond to make sure we werr comfortable. And he was always smiling. He made us feel so welcome. We had Erik as our guide who is so knowledgeable and experienced. We learned so much, saw so much wildlife. It really was a dream vacation. Thank you!! Read all

Chose this place to stay at the Amazon, as I heard it benefits the local indigenous community. Life changing experience. Oscar was an excellent guide! We saw so many wildlife! No 4th wall made it such an immersive jungle experience. Since they are eco friendly, there is no AC. It can get pretty hot depending on the season. So better to follow their guidance for clothing choices Read all

If you want to experience the Amazon in all its glory This is the place to come to Staff and guides were excellent Food was just incredible The forest walks were really interesting and informative Read all

If you are a birder, ask for Juan Carlos Yatto. He recognizes an astounding number of bird calls and can duplicate many of them. This place is magical, all I could have imagined. All the staff and scientists are incredible. The experience of a lifetime. Read all

This was the most amazing experience Very well organised The ground staff were so well organised The guides were excellent ( I’m looking at you Carlos!) Food was tasty and very varied Amazed that the chefs managed to get such variety in the middle of the Amazon Do not hesitate Book immediately you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended Read all

I can not say enough good things about my time at the Tambopata Research Center. Between the guides, the boat drivers, the chefs, the staff, the bartenders, the researchers, etc. Everyone was absolutely wonderful! If you are interested in viewing wildlife in the Amazon, this is the place for you! A special thank you to the maître d' Carlos who was so incredibly kind and hospitable and our guide Dino who was like a real life Indiana Jones. I can't wait to come back! Read all

An unforgettable, fully immersive jungle experience. Amazing how Tambopata Lodge delivers luxury touches in such a remote and rugged location. The food is fantastic, the staff incredible, and the wildlife sightings non-stop. The personalised itinerary and one-on-one guiding made the trip truly special—huge thanks to our guide Johan for sharing his passion and knowledge. The Macaw Project is inspiring, and it’s clear the lodge fully supports this important conservation work. Manager Brian was always kind, helpful. Well-done all involved. Read all

The most important fact we are grateful for is the true sense of understanding of the ecology of the Amazon the staff at Rainforest Expeditions (RFE) have shown us. RFE stands out for its stand against the pure, profit-motive initiatives many other tour operators do. We are very grateful to have had Carlos as our guide. Carlos is deeply dedicated, and is able to explain the nuances of the flora and fauna. The world today needs to act as one against the impact of climate change. RFE is one, bright shining light in this regard. Read all

We had a fabulous trip! The people were amazing, kind and very professional. The food was exceptionally good! The facilities are beautiful and well kept. We just loved our second time with Rainforest Expeditions and can't wait to go again!! Read all

Fantastic to be deep in the forest surrounded by incredible wildlife with our amazing guide Juan Carlos Yatto, who really knew his stuff! Also his photography skills meant that we could share our experience even better through his telescope using our phone cameras! We learned so much!! He went to extra lengths to find butterflies and moths for us along with so many different birds and monkeys. This was a travel highlight for us as experienced wildlife travellers. We loved our spacious room with no windows and open to more wildlife visitors but after 5 nights the bed could have been a little more comfortable. Luckily we had a second bed to use. Otherwise it was fantastic with hot water showers and fresh drinking water all the time. We were amazed at the variety of food on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner and couldn’t believe they could have such a wonderful food offering in such a remote location. Even the wine and cocktails were great. I highly recommend spending the extra money and time getting to this location. We stayed at another lodge later which was closer to Puerto Maldonado and there was far less wildlife. Read all

Join To Our Newsletter

Write your e-mail

Join