3DInktober: Day 2 - Mindless

sketchfab

Soldier beetles feast on blossoms, where they face a lethal threat - fungal spores. Infected beetles by a fungus bite into a flower before their demise. After 15-20 hours pass, the abdomen of a deceased beetle inflates, and its wings unfold. For males of these beetles, this stance signals the female's readiness to reproduce. The male, attempting to mate with a zombie-female, picks up fungal spores and carries them to other blossoms and beetles.