‘Oozing mass’ suddenly appears in the Australian garden – so do you know what it is?
- ‘Moving sludge’ discovered in Gold Coast garden
- Social media sleuths struggled to identify oddities
An eagle-eyed gardener is baffled after discovering a mysterious “seeping mass” in his vegetable garden.
The man took to social media to find out what the peculiar beige slime was after it “suddenly” appeared in his yard this week.
He posted several photos of the sludge in hopes it could be identified, with social media users quick to compare it to cheese sauce and vomit.
“It’s slime mold,” one person eventually revealed to other confused users.
An eagle-eyed gardener is baffled after discovering a mysterious ‘seeping mass’ growing in his vegetable patch (pictured)
The man took to social media to find out what the peculiar beige slime was after it ‘suddenly’ appeared in his yard this week (pictured)
Slime mold, also known as Fulgio septica or “dog puke,” resembles fungi in appearance but is vastly different according to University of Sydney entomologist Tanya Latty.
“Slime molds aren’t really fungi – they’re giant single-celled organisms with complicated life cycles,” Professor Latty told me. Yahoo News.
This photo probably shows a slime mold in its large blob-like life stage (called a ‘plasmodium’). It will eventually develop into spores that have distinctive shapes depending on the species.
‘So a conclusive identification requires careful examination of the spore-bearing structures.’
An important characteristic of the slime mold is its ability to move, despite the lack of a brain or central nervous system.
The curious substance can also remember food sources for future reference.
Slime mold, also known as Fulgio septica or “dog puke,” resemble fungi in appearance and are giant, single-celled organisms with complicated life cycles
Slime mold is incredibly common in Australian gardens and belongs to the Protista family of organisms. It was first documented by naturalists in 1504.
It is most commonly found in wood chip or leaf litter areas, and there are over 100 species in Tasmania alone.
Slime molds can grow anywhere and show no signs of favoring their environment as long as they can shield themselves from light.
Moisture also seems to ward off the oddball, which is known to move away from overly wet environments in search of something dry or decaying.
The movement of the slime has puzzled scientists to this day, and it is known to be able to navigate a maze without the need for a brain.
Stamina is also a key feature of the fungus, which grows up to two inches long when hungry and can shoot spores to penetrate its own growth.
Their primary diet consists of bacteria and fungi, making it generally harmless to humans and animals.