Scientist Finds Mushrooms Growing Out of Frog in Western Ghats

News Desk

Islamabad: During a nature walk in India’s Western Ghats region with fellow scientists, an Indian scientist stumbled upon a surprising sight: mushrooms growing out of a frog’s back.

Lohit YT, a specialist in river and wetlands, made the peculiar discovery while observing Rao’s intermediate golden-backed frogs (Indosylvirana intermedia).

One of the frogs, about the size of a thumb, had a tiny mushroom protruding from its back, prompting Lohit to snap a photo for closer examination.

The close-up images were shared on Lohit’s Instagram account, where both amateur and professional mycologists weighed in, suggesting that the growth resembled a bonnet mushroom. This type of mushroom typically thrives on decaying plant matter, making its presence on the frog’s back all the more mysterious.

Unlike most fungi, which require nutrient-rich surfaces to sprout Mycelia and form mushrooms, the mushrooms growing from the frog appeared to be unique.

While fungi like the Cordyceps fungus can take over insects’ bodies and brains, ultimately killing the host, the frog-fungus pairing seemed to be mutually beneficial, with both the frog and the mushroom appearing alive—a rare occurrence.

Similar instances of mushrooms growing on living organisms have been documented before, such as Mycena growing on the living roots of trees.

However, without physical specimens of either the frog or the mushroom, it remains challenging to definitively identify the species involved.

Christoffer Bugge Harder, an expert in bonnet mushrooms from the University of Copenhagen, suggested that the mushroom in Lohit’s photo might belong to the Mycena species, but conclusive identification would require further examination beyond just the photograph.