# Fuligo

Fuligo is a fascinating slime mold that can look like a yellow or white blob! It loves to grow on decaying wood and can even move to find food!

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Fuligo thrives in damp, shady areas, often found on decaying logs and leaf litter.
- **Also known as:** Fuligo septica, dog vomit slime mold, slime mold, yellow slime mold

![Fuligo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Fuligo_septica.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fuligo_septica.jpg)

## Appearance

The Fuligo has a striking, often frothy appearance, resembling scrambled eggs or foam. It typically starts bright yellow or creamy white, maturing into a crusty, brownish-black blob. Its amorphous shape makes it look quite unlike a typical mushroom.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Myxomycota
- **Class:** Myxomycetes
- **Order:** Physarales
- **Family:** Physaraceae
- **Genus:** Fuligo

## Interesting facts

- It can appear almost overnight, growing super fast after rain!
- It can grow as large as a dinner plate across a forest floor.
- Scientists have sent Fuligo into space for experiments. Wow!
- This organism is actually a giant, single-celled blob!

## Special abilities

- **Shape-Shifter:** Fuligo can flow and change its shape like a giant amoeba because of its single-celled body, helping it explore and find food.
- **Maze Solver:** Fuligo has a remarkable ability to find the shortest path through a maze, showing unexpected intelligence for a simple organism.
- **UV Shield:** Fuligo can produce a bright yellow pigment called fuligorubin that helps it absorb harmful ultraviolet light from the sun.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 1-5 cm
- **Edible:** inedible
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Spring to fall
- **Spore Color:** Purple-brown to black

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** E. coli bacterium (*Escherichia coli*) — It feeds on various bacteria found in its environment.
- **Eats:** soil bacterium (*Pseudomonas fluorescens*) — Consumes these soil bacteria for energy and growth.
- **Depends on:** common oak (*Quercus robur*) — It decomposes fallen branches and dead wood from oak trees.
- **Depends on:** [European beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-beech) (*Fagus sylvatica*) — Utilizes decaying wood and leaves from beech trees as its substrate.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Fuligo?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Fuligo?

1-5 cm

### Is Fuligo edible?

inedible

### Where is Fuligo usually found?

Fuligo thrives in damp, shady areas, often found on decaying logs and leaf litter.

### What does Fuligo grow on?

wood

### When is Fuligo in season?

Spring to fall

### What color are Fuligo spores?

Purple-brown to black

## Where to spot

- [Pinecone Burke Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/pinecone-burke-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Fuligo: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fuligo)