--- title: "Scientists Surprised to Find Mushroom Growing Out of Frog" description: "When going on a nature walk, an Indian scientist discovered something astounding — a frog that seemed to have a mushroom growing out of it." date: "2024-02-12" modified: "2024-02-12" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-find-mushroom-frog" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "frogs" - "mushrooms" - "mycology" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Surprised to Find Mushroom Growing Out of Frog ![When going on a nature walk, an Indian scientist discovered something astounding — a frog that seemed to have a mushroom growing out of it.]() *\Image: Lohit Y.T via WWF-India\* ## Cottage Core On a nature walk with friends, an Indian scientist uncovered something astounding — a frog that seemed to have a mushroom growing out of its back. In an [interview with the *New York Times*](), Lohit Y.T., the river and wetlands specialist said he and his hiking group of fellow scientists had merely been looking for interesting animals, as one does, in India's Western Ghats region last summer when they stumbled across the fascinating frog. "There were five of us," Lohit said, "busy searching for the species and avoiding leeches." When checking out a bunch of Rao’s intermediate golden-backed frogs, which are about the size of a thumb, the scientists noticed something strange: a growth on the back of one of them. Someone snapped a picture, and upon closer inspection, it appeared that the minuscule amphibian had an even-teenier mushroom growing out of its back. Though the scientists didn't bring the curious creature in question back home with them, Lohit posted the close-up photos of it online. In response, amateur and professional mycologists, or those who study fungi, said it looked like a bonnet mushroom. Known collectively as Mycena, this type of mushroom primarily lives on decaying plant matter, the *NYT* explains — which makes the one that seemed to be on the back of the tiny golden-backed frog from the Ghats so mysterious. ## Growth Spurt Although plenty of fungi grow on living things — including the yeast that grows on our skin — the overwhelming majority don't become mushrooms, which are only produced when a spore meets a nutrient-rich surface and sprouts its thread-like cells known as Mycelia into it. It's only if the Mycelia get enough to eat that mushrooms are formed. There are, to be fair, some documented cases of mushrooms growing out of living beings, such as the zombie-esque and [potentially medicinal]() Cordyceps fungus that takes over insects' bodies and brains, controlling and then killing the host. But in the case of this unique frog-fungus pair, the animal and the mushroom both appeared to be very much alive, which until recently was entirely unheard of. Last year, a team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen led by bonnet mushroom expert Christoffer Bugge Harder had a somewhat similar discovery: Mycena that [grew on the living roots of trees](). As Harder, who was not involved in the discovery of the frog, told the *Times*, he'd bet money that the mushroom seen perched on Nohit's photo was Mycena — but because neither the frog nor the mushroom were brought back, it's impossible to say for sure with just a photo. Despite the lack of physical evidence, the observation itself is enough of a marvel to astound scientists — and maybe one will go out and find the frog, or another like it, for a sample. **More on curious biology:** [*Wildflowers Adapting to Insect Apocalypse by Pollinating Themselves, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()