If you ask what is the largest animal in the world, many people must answer the blue whale. Indeed, as a realistic version of the "Leviathan" in the ocean, the size of the blue whale is staggering. The average body length of 23 meters is just the body length of an ordinary blue whale. The largest blue whale in the world can even reach more than 33 meters, which is the size of a basketball court.
However, you think that the blue whale is the largest creature in the world, that is a big mistake.
In fact, outside of the animal kingdom, there is a fungus-Armillaria, which is the world's largest creature.
The little mushroom is actually the largest creature in the world? Don't you believe it?
Yes, Armillaria is widely distributed in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Although the “super mushroom” exposed on the ground in the Marhall National Forest Park in Oregon, U.S. does not look that big, its hugeness is not reflected in the size and height like a giant tree, but Reflected in its roots.
The mushroom body of this strain of Armillaria, which is the fruit body that grows on the ground, does not seem to be much different from other mushrooms, as if it looks the same as ordinary mushrooms, and is not noticeable. However, in 1998, people unexpectedly discovered that this strain of Armillaria occupies an area of 9.6 square kilometers.
At that time, large tracts of trees died in the Marhall National Forest Park. After a series of surveys, researchers found that Armillaria was the culprit of this disaster, and the DNA research measurement results shocked the researchers. It turned out that the researchers' detection range was extremely wide, and the distance between the farthest sample collection points even reached 5.6 kilometers, but the biological information carried by all the fungi found pointed to the same parent. This means that under this land, there is a mother Armillaria whose roots are staggered for nearly 10 square kilometers.
Why does this strain of Armillaria grow so large? This starts with the honey fungus itself. After the spores of Armillaria germinate, hyphae will grow underground, and they will continue to entangle to form rhizoid fungi. After finding a suitable growth environment, the fungus will continue to extend and grow. For trees, Armillaria are extremely terrifying "parasites", because after finding suitable roots, Armillaria will keep entwining them, and then absorb nutrients through digestive enzymes secreted by the hyphae. Slowly grow fruiting bodies. In this way, the vast forest in the Marhall National Forest Park has become a paradise on earth for this strain of Armillaria. Moreover, due to the deep underground, various natural disasters such as forest fires cannot harm Armillaria, making this strain of Armillaria grow more unscrupulously.
Maybe some snacks want to ask, can this "super mushroom" be eaten? In fact, many honey fungus are edible. For example, honey fungus distributed in our country is a kind of Chinese medicinal material, also called hazel mushroom. This hazel mushroom is distributed in Northeast my country, Yunnan, Sichuan and Chongqing. It is not only smooth and refreshing, delicious, but also rich in nutrients. It is even called the "fourth treasure of the Northeast".
However, whether this strain of Armillaria in Oregon can be eaten or not is a matter of consideration. After all, according to researchers, this "super mushroom" has such a huge root system that it has reached at least two thousand years of age, and may even reach over eight thousand years. To taste the broth made from this "super mushroom", I am afraid it takes extraordinary courage.
