Disgusting reD fungus

You might see a mushroom growing in your garden from time to time, but you probably don’t expect it to Look like this! This freaky fungus, with its alien-looking red tentacles smeared with revolting smelling brown slime, has the scientific name Aseroë rubra – which literally means “disgusting red”. slimy sPores Like some stinky species of plants, this disgusting red fungussmells like rotting meat in order to attract flies. When they land on the fungus, the black slime, which contains tiny spores (the fungus version of seeds), sticks to their feet and bodies. So, as the flies move around, they spread the spores and new fungi grow.

A disgusting red fungus can have up to 16 slimy tentacles. a starfish or a gory WounD? This fungus is sometimes called the starfish or sea anemone fungus because of its star-like shape and bright colour. Some experts think it looks the way it does to make flies think it’s a rotting wound in the side of an animal’s body – since that’s where some flies like to lay their eggs.

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