The zombies are identifiable by the fungi bursting from their bodies: a thicket of spiky tendrils, a miniature garden of mushroom-like fruiting bodies. These fungal parasites act as puppeteers, commanding and positioning the zombies to infect entire communities.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/25/world/zombie-fungus-ophiocordyceps-the-last-of-us-scn/index.html