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comment by b_b
b_b  ·  4173 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Long before trees overtook the land, Earth was covered by giant mushrooms

Yes, unfortunately today they're mats, not towering fruiting bodies, which I'm sure would have been spectacular to look at.





humanodon  ·  4173 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah, that would be something to see. Imagine the sporing though . . . if it did spore. Like this but way bigger. Contemporary conifers are bad enough, especially in a heavily forested area. Man, last year it was everywhere in my part of New England. Sticky, yellow pine spooge. Everywhere.

What I found interesting about the Wikipedia entry on prototaxites was that it mentioned that there was evidence of animals making their homes in the trunks. I know animals do this within trees, but my imagination is just running wild with what that would have looked like.

I don't know if you're a gamer, or if you've checked out Minecraft, but my favorite biome is the mushroom biome:

Those cow things are called mooshrooms. Anyway, I'm really glad that people study ancient organisms. It really puts into perspective how unlikely our contemporary world is.

b_b  ·  4173 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Unlikely and fleeting.

humanodon  ·  4173 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Ain't that the truth. Still, it's a lovely thing to be alive and to be alive now.