Nature & Environment

Weird fungus looks like an alien facehugger

By T.K. Randall
January 3, 2016

Image: Octopus at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium
Credit: Pseudopanax / (PD) Ecologist Dan Hoare had been visiting New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England when he came across a strange white egg-like sack nestled within the foliage on the forest floor.

As he moved towards it to take a closer look the sack suddenly burst open and a big bunch of pink, foul-smelling tentacles reached up from within - grasping at the air right in front of him.

Despite looking eerily like the face-hugging alien from Ridley Scott's science fiction horror classic however this bizarre specimen was in fact a type of fungus that is normally found in Australia. The species spread to the United Kingdom in the 1940s and has been turning up there ever since.

The fungus, which is often referred to as "octopus stinkhorn" due to its foul odor, has gained something of a reputation for its eerie appearance and is sometimes known as "devil's fingers".

Fortunately though, despite its ominous exterior, the species is actually quite harmless.

Source: Daily Echo

Tags: Fungus, Alien