Mushrooms normally develop in dark, partly sunny environments, which is why they are frequently seen on forest floors or dung in fields, but an Indian scientist was perplexed when he discovered mushrooms growing out of a frog.
Lohit YT, a river and wetlands researcher, discovered a frog with a mushroom sprouting out of its back while on a nature walk with other scientists in India’s Western Ghats, according to The New York Times.
When inspecting a group of Rao’s intermediate golden-backed frogs (Indosylvirana intermedia), which are approximately the size of a thumb, they discovered a frog with an unusual growth on its back and took a photograph for closer examination.
The miniscule amphibian appeared to have a much smaller mushroom coming out of its back.
Lohit uploaded close-up shots of it on Instagram, where amateur and professional mycologists commented that the growth resembled a bonnet mushroom.
According to the Times, this sort of mushroom primarily feeds on decaying plant waste, making the one on the frog’s back mysterious.
Most fungi, including yeast on human skin, do not develop into mushrooms. Instead, mushrooms emerge when a spore comes into contact with a nutrient-rich surface and sprouts Mycelia, which are thread-like cells.
Mushrooms are only generated when the Mycelia have enough food.
Mushrooms that grow from living beings, such as the Cordyceps fungus, have the potential to be medicinal since they take over the bodies and brains of insects, controlling and eventually killing them.
However, in the unique frog-fungus couple, both the animal and the mushroom appeared to be alive, which is unusual.
Last year, a team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen, lead by bonnet mushroom expert Christoffer Bugge Harder, made a similar discovery: Mycena grew on tree roots.
Harder told the Times that he’d bet money that the mushroom shown perched on Lohit’s shot was Mycena, but since neither the frog nor the mushroom was brought back, it’s impossible to verify for sure with just a photo.
