Mushrooms & Fungi Quiz

Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals — they belong to the kingdom Fungi, which is a completely separate biological kingdom. Surprisingly, genetic research has shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Unlike plants, fungi cannot photosynthesize and must obtain nutrients by decomposing organic matter or forming symbiotic relationships with other organisms.

The death cap (Amanita phalloides) is widely considered the most dangerous mushroom in the world, responsible for approximately 90% of all mushroom-related fatalities worldwide. It contains amatoxins that cause severe liver and kidney damage, and symptoms often don't appear until 6-12 hours after ingestion, by which time significant organ damage may have already occurred. It is commonly found in Europe and has spread to other continents.

The largest known living organism is a honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae) in Oregon's Blue Mountains, USA. This single organism covers approximately 2,385 acres (965 hectares) — roughly the size of 1,665 football fields — and is estimated to be between 2,400 and 8,650 years old. Most of this enormous organism exists underground as a network of mycelium, the thread-like filaments that make up the main body of a fungus.