Friday, July 28, 2017

Worm Eating Fungus For Freaky Friday...!

This next article from Listverse is not only freaky, but it's a little scary.

This mushroom is one that a lot of us have eaten over the years. Doesn't look that bad...in fact it's plain and simple in design. It has a singularly unpleasant way to get the nutrients it needs...it eats worms!

Oyster Mushrooms



Photo credit: Aaron Sherman

Oyster mushrooms of the genus Pleurotus are among the most prized edible mushrooms collected in the wild by human mycophages (a Greek word meaning “fungus eaters”). Oyster mushrooms grow on the trunks of dying and dead trees and break down the wood. The wood contains plenty of cellulose and lignin, but little nitrogen, so these crafty fungi exude chemical lures to attract their microscopic nematode prey.

When the worms crawl onto the fungal hyphae (threadlike filaments that make up most of the mushroom’s mass), the mushroom releases toxins from the tips of tiny, matchstick-like glands that paralyze the worms. The fungus then sends digestive hyphae down the victim’s mouth. They penetrate throughout the body and slowly digest the helpless worm from the inside while it’s still alive.

Now, how a plant gets the food it needs is certainly not my business. It just is a little freaky to me, but I guess that's because I never knew that it was a worm eater.

Coffee in the kitchen again today.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Freaky is right! So glad I don't like mushrooms. Love you, Bubba.

linda m said...

That is just freaky. And to think I love eating mushrooms - never thought about the fact it might think I am just as tasty. Have a great weekend.

HermitJim said...

Hey B...
I was unaware that you didn't like mushrooms.
Thanks for stopping by today, sis!


Hey Linda...
It's a sobering thought, isn't it?
Thanks for coming over today!

Momlady said...

I don't care for mushrooms, never have. Of course, worms are protein and there are critters (and people) that eat them...butnot me!

JO said...

I'll just ignore this fact I learned this morning since I love mushrooms, although I don't know that I have ever eaten this kind.

I'm ready for coffee so please pass the pot

HermitJim said...

Hey Momlady...
Might be a good thing that you don't like them. Can't be too hard to pass on eating what you don't like, right?
Thanks for the visit this morning!


Hey Jo...
I would imagine that a little seasoning could make all the difference. My advice...go for it!
Thanks for dropping by this morning!

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

I knew there was a good reason (other than growing in the dark and have "stuff" used as fertilizer) why I don't care for them! But come TEOTWAWKI, who knows? Protein is protein, as Momlady pointed out ~
Big Hugs ..

HermitJim said...

Hey Sis...
Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say.
Thanks, sis, for the visit today!

deb harvey said...

yuck.
on the other hand, chickens eat bugs and i eat chickens.