Meet D. rex, the newly crowned giant fungus ‘king’ that measures almost 2 feet tall
Researchers in China have discovered a large fungus species, Dianjunus rex, which grows up to 20 inches tall. The species is notable for its size and its evolutionary history linked to the post-dinosaur extinction period.
Why it matters
This discovery highlights the vast, undocumented fungal diversity existing in forest ecosystems and adds to the historical record of post-extinction life.
Scientists found stromata, or fruiting bodies, of Dianjunus rex growing from the roots of dying host plants in China's Yunnan province. - Indunil C. Senanayake As the reign of the dinosaurs crumbled about 65 million years ago , new royalty rose from the ashes: a king among fungi.
Scientists recently identified Dianjunus rex, a gigantic species of fungus in what's now China that shares part of its name with Tyrannosaurus rex, the renowned dinosaur "king." D. rex belongs to a family of fungi that appeared following the extinction event that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs, along with roughly 75% of all plant and animal life on Earth.
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