You might not think about it, but when you eat a mushroom, you're consuming one of the most diverse and magical life forms on the planet.
The members of the Fungi kingdom—which includes mushrooms, yeasts, and molds—come in a startling array of forms. But none hold a candle to the utterly bizarre Clathrus archeri, also known as the devil's fingers.
Native to New Zealand and Australia, Clathrus archeri is also known as devil's fingers. It is what's known as a phalloid fungus.
But unlike most of its fungi brethren, devil's fingers doesn't sprout straight from the earth. Instead, it begins life in a kind of egg sack.
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Sponsored by Ford Motor CompanyAs it matures, the sack is breached by a number of terrifying red tentacles. At first glance,they look like some kind of demon reaching up from the underworld, but they're actually totally benign.
The four arms are coated in a sticky, strong-smelling tissue meant to attract flies. However, the fungus is not carnivorous. Instead, it contaminates the flies with its spore, turning them into agents of dispersal.
Watch this bizarre time-lapse video to see 'hatching' process!
The other members of the Clathrus genus are just as fascinating. There's the Clathrus ruber, which expands into this amazing latticework structure…
…And another cousin, the Pseudocolus fusiformis, which looks like the progeny of some horrifying squid monster.
As amazing as these are, I was even more stunned to learn that devil's fingers are actually considered a delicacy in some areas. Personally, I think I'll just appreciate them from afar, thank you very much.
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