Somewhere in the depths of the sea, in a pineapple with his pet snail and his “friend” Patrick, Spongebob Squarepants’ dreams just came true. Spongiforma squarepantsii, does not live in a pineapple under the sea, but rather in a rainforest under a tree, according to the scientists. They also say that it is nearly as strange as its namesake character, ranging in color from bright orange to purple, and smelling “vaguely fruity or strongly musky.” Strange, I always pictured Spongebob smelling something like skittles. Click through for a look at the actual fungus.
The fungus from the jungles (this doesn’t actually rhyme, no matter how hard we try) of Borneo got its name because it looked a little bit like a sea sponge and, oddly enough, had the same absorbant qualities.
“It’s just like a sponge with these big hollow holes,” Dennis Desjardin said. “When it’s wet and moist and fresh, you can wring water out of it and it will spring back to its original size. Most mushrooms don’t do that… It’s become gelatinous or rubbery. Its adaptation is to revive very quickly if it dries out, by absorbing very small amounts of moisture from the air.”
I wonder what Squidward thinks about this.
(via I Heart Chaos)
(Photo via Empowered News)
