The Craziest Fungi On Earth Today

Some are tasty, some can kill you, and did you know that some have the power to trick animals into caring for them? Welcome to the world of Mushrooms. Join Michael Aranda for a new episode of SciShow where we'll put the fun in fungi!

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Sources:

Special thanks to Dr. David Moore

Images:

[AbsolXGuardian]

2:42 "That dark red liquid oozing from the mushroom's top is actually part of the fungi's internal transportation system" So...blood?

[aaronism]

I love the weird ones that come dried in a bag and cost about $35

[burbanpoison]

"6 weird mushrooms" is also the title of my essay on why I dropped out of college.

[Ngamotu]

So Mario wasn't really travelling through pipes to a kingdom full of talking mushrooms and monster turtles. Instead he was just having a hallucination? Makes sense.

[MadamFoogie]

The bizarre "intelligence" of fungi is utterly fascinating. I like to grow shiitake mushrooms as a bit of a hobby. One thing I've noticed helps bring the mycelium to fruit is to give the log a good whack. Drop it, hit it, whatever, just give it a jostle. The mycelium "thinks" that a branch has fallen next to it, or that it fell off a part of a tree, and almost always develops pins and spores. It "thinks" there's fresh deadwood to get into!
Edit: The Bleeding Tooth mushroom looks utterly delicious. Forbidden Gusher.

[Cabbolf]

Fly agaric mushrooms are NOT psychedelic, they're a deliriant i.e. the effects are similar to being delirious, and not at all comparable to the effects of a psychedelic mushroom like psilocybe cubensis.

[joecat]

I read in a very, very old encyclopedia about a mushroom used to leach some kind of metal out of the ground. The mushrooms were then burned and the metal was removed from the ashes. It would be interesting to know what that was!

[d.lawrencemiller]

There used to be a beautiful bleeding tooth on an oak tree in my summer camp in Prescott, AZ. A few years ago, somebody started a forest fire and several acres were lost. Volunteer fire fighters saved the camp, but my favorite tree with the bleeding tooth was lost. 😭 It's been a few years now. I think I should go back and see if any spores survived to make a new bleeding tooth.

[mynameisal]

That first picture they have of Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) at 8:36 is actually a Bear's Head (Hericium americanum). Same genus, different species, but both still good to eat!

[EduardQualls]

Mushroom: "Don't eat me! I'm red!"
Reindeer: "But I'm colorblind! You look green, like a big, grassy thing!"
Chomp. Chomp.
Reindeer: "OOOH! Look at the colors! And I can fly!"

[MrBainbridge]

There wasn't mushroom for a pun in this comment section.

[TheBenduOrder]

6 Weird Mushrooms - Cool name for a drug store!

[heatherkaye]

You missed going into the edible jelly mushrooms. Those are so freaking weird. Literally forest candy growing on branches. Haha

[gupanta]

“They are kind of toxic ... so don’t” Ok, let’s pretend so!

[RustyTube]

So, Michael is not only the best SciShow host, he’s also quite a fun guy.

[jeffreyschweitzer]

Mushrooms strengthened by gamma rays...you wouldn’t like them when they’re angry....

[kekkaisenn]

Am lowkey being eaten by a fungus rn (goddamn ringworm)

When I said I was fascinated by mushrooms this kind of relationship was anything but intended...

[treborironwolfe]

*Mushroom says:* "Heh.. stupid termites."

[AveryMilieu]

Daily use of Lions Mane has definitely been a benefit for cognition. I actually started the Lion's Mane as part of an anti cancer program and didn't consider the cognition aspects of it until I realized I was scoring higher in games like Scrabble.

[OttawaOldFart]

Mushrooms have been my photography subject for the last ten years. Once you look for them it is amazing just how many there are.