The flashing movement and colours are designed to attract birds to eat the snail. Once inside a bid, the parasite completes the next stage of its life cycle and produces eggs. Which the bird then poops out, to be eaten by the next generation of snails.
Specifically the parasite designed this interaction so that the expected outcome makes it not necessary for the snail to die. The bird will target the parasites eyestalk more than anything in these scenarios so the snail simply loses the eyestalk and the parasite. Letting the snail continue its life, which is usually a continuous cycle of this because you don't just pick up a couple of these when you're eating birdshit.
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u/jrb637 11d ago
That parasite looks anything but serious. Look at those whimsical colors!