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Wildlife Spotting

Photo by RachaelB
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Some kind of bacteria/fungi most likely growing from bat guano.
At it's tallest spot, was probably around 9cm. Each stem had a round yellow tip on the end.
The round yellow tip is called a sporangium which is the structure that contains the spores for the fungi. The production of sporangia continues while external circumstances remain favourable and while fresh supplies of food material are available.

Habitat:

In a cave.

Notes:

Getting up close to these things my breath made the stems wave around as if it was coming alive! Kind of creepy when you are lying in complete darkness in a cave ;-)

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (10)

Wow I've never seen anything like that other than a coral.. But that's fabulous!
Thanks everyone and thanks for the info Jerry - I might add some of it to the notes.
Incredible it remain me the fiver optic lamps years ago:) Great spotting!
Yep, we get to go places few or none have ever been and see things seen by few or none! Here are info I found about the sporangia, not really an ID but I learn more about the yellow poppers:) http://gluedideas.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-9-Part-2-Extraction-Gambrinus/Fungi.html http://www.nps.gov/orca/photosmultimedia/Cave-Life.htm (2nd photo) http://www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk/cavelife/yorkshire/fungi.html
Fireworks is a great description for them. There are so many amazing and beautiful things to see underground - we are so lucky Jerry (even if we do come out covered in mud!)
WOAH, good get! These are great! Never seen them before! Looks like a miniature fireworks display with yellow poppers! I'm glad I'm not the only one who lies down on the ground (sometimes guano), in complete darkness, to shot photos! I almost feel normal now... -jerry
Photographed
PublishedJune 14, 2012

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