What Is That?!

Have you ever eaten a fungus? If you’ve eaten a mushroom, your answer should be yes! Mushrooms, mold, and yeast are some of the most familiar types of fungus, but the number/amount of known fungus species is actually in the hundreds of thousands!

Most fungi are decomposers—organisms that break down dead plants and animals. Without fungi, the number/amount of dead stuff piling up in the environment would be alarming! 

But not every fungus is the same, and some have some truly extraordinary traits. Take the bleeding tooth fungus. The red fluid seeping from it is not blood; it’s water that the fungus has absorbed from the soil. The water gets its red color from a pigment the fungus produces. It’s thought that this fungus’s gory appearance helps to deter animals from eating it. 

Contrary to its name, dung cannon fungus does not blast dung into the air. But it does grow in animal poop, and when the fungus shoots up from a pile, it launches a number/an amount of spores into the air. The spores, which allow the fungus to reproduce, then land on grass. Animals like cows and horses eat the grass. The spores end up in the animals’ feces, where new fungi grow—and the whole process begins again!

Some species of fungi, like the ghost fungus, are bioluminescent. This means they can create their own light. And some of these glowing organisms can produce an impressive number/amount of light—enough to read a book by in some cases. Some scientists believe the point of this eerie trait is to attract insects that can help the fungi spread their spores.