Zombie spiders discovered in London garden spark fungus fears
You’ve probably heard the jokes about mushrooms taking over the world or seen The Last of Us, the hit TV drama where a mind-controlling fungus turns people into zombies. It sounds like science fiction, but in London last week, something curiously real and unsettling was found lurking beneath a garden deck. While working in Wanstead, east London, landscaper Gareth Jenkins came across a cluster of strange-looking arachnids – zombie spiders!
“They had almost see-through legs and were about half an inch big,”
he told Metro. “I’ve been a landscaper for 20 years and never in my life have I seen something like this.” But it wasn’t just the zombie spiders themselves, it was the substance coating them, described as a white foam-like fuzz. After sharing images online, Jenkins was informed he’d likely found spiders infected with a parasitic fungus known to manipulate the behaviour of its hosts.
The fungus turns insects into what researchers call “zombie” hosts—still alive, but effectively puppets, directed to move and position themselves in ways that help spread the fungal spores. It’s the stuff of natural horror, but it’s not new to science.
In fact, the specific fungus now identified in similar cases across the UK is called Gibellula attenboroughii, a newly classified species named in honour of Sir David Attenborough. While it’s far from the type of creature Attenborough is best known for introducing us to, the fungus’s eerie life cycle, and the decision to name it after one of Britain’s most respected broadcasters, shows how even unsettling discoveries can highlight the richness of the natural world.
After Jenkins contacted the British Mycological Society, they confirmed the spiders appeared to be infected by an entomopathogenic fungus, likely Gibellula, and reassured him that it posed no risk to humans. “They assured me it can’t spread to humans,” he said.
“But if I saw one of them run towards me, I know I would die of a heart attack.”
The discovery follows recent similar sightings in Northern Ireland, where researchers also found infected spiders inside caves. The findings are contributing to growing interest in how fungi like this might be more widespread in UK ecosystems than previously thought.
For those still wondering – no, this isn’t the start of a real-life zombie apocalypse. But it does remind us that nature still holds plenty of surprises. If you’re curious about how these fungi operate (and aren’t too squeamish), you can read more about entomopathogenic fungi in this Royal Botanic Gardens Kew overview.
If you thought the world of creepy crawlies and bio-science was just stuff of fiction, take a look at the latest life sciences innovation happening in Fulham – a reminder that cutting-edge biological research is very much alive and well in the capital.
For more updates on zombie spiders London discoveries and quirky science in the city, visit EyeOnLondon. We’d love to hear your views in the comments.
[Image Credit: Popular Science – CABI/Evans et. al 2025]
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