This is definitely the stuff that inspires horror films.

When the Ichneumon wasp is ready to lay her eggs, she picks a victim, usually a caterpillar, and injects her eggs into the host’s body. Poison often accompanies this injection which causes instant paralysis for the poor potential butterfly.

When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae begin eating the caterpillar. Because the dead caterpillar would be useless for the developing wasps, they contrive to keep the poor unfortunate victim alive as long as possibly by eating its fatty deposits and digestive organs and saving the heart and central nervous system till lasts.

Hope you weren’t planning on eating lunch soon!