There is a mushroom in Borneo named after Spongebob Squarepants

Sing along time…“What lives in the rainforest, under a tree?… Spongiforma squarepantsii….”

There’s a new mushroom in town and it looks like a sea sponge; just like the underwater cartoon hero it’s named after. Spongiforma squarpantisii was discovered in the forests of Borneo, it is bright orange and according to researches it smells kinda fruity and musty.

Mushrooms can be sponges?

Most mushrooms have the classic cap and stem look. With this design the cap keeps the reproductive spores from drying out and the stem lifts it off of the ground to protect it. Our mushroomy SpongeBob takes a different approach; it keeps its spores wet by…well being sponge like. It has big hollow holes, which allows it to absorb small amounts of moisture from the air, keeping it from drying out.

Nameless fungi kingdom.

There are lots of different funguses in the world, but only a small percentage of them have been identified. Researchers estimate that there are anywhere between 1.5 to 3 million fungi species but only 5% of them have been formally named. The fungi kingdom is pretty diverse, with mushrooms only making up a small part of this big group. These mysterious funguses play important roles in ecosystems and learning about them will help us better understand and protect the environment, in short GO TEAM FUNGI

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-06/sfsu-md061511.php

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.