Day 283: Fuligo septica has an alternate and more widely used common name, but thank you all the same, I prefer "Scrambled-egg" to "Dog-vomit." The latter seems too harsh for one of the most unusual life-forms on the planet. Once lumped with fungi in the botanical hierarchy, the behaviour and life cycle of this organism justified creating a new Kingdom in which to contain it: the Protists. Individual amoeba-like cells have a life independent of others, moving about until they encounter a partner cell with which to fuse and breed. This motion can actually be observed in the space of a minute or two in some slime molds such as Fuligo septica. Slime molds may also respond to stimuli such as a change in light or proximity to a food source. That thought should make you watch where you step in the forest!
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