Alien-like fungus 'Devil's Fingers' with smell of rotten flesh makes rare appearance in UK
Image of alien-like fungus 'Devil's Fingers'.
An alien-like fungus - called 'Devil's Fingers' - has made a rare appearance in the New Forest, United Kingdom.
The fungus smells "like rotting flesh" and has a ghoulishhand-like appearance which appears to be coming straight out of the grave.
It was discovered by a retired teacher Julia Rosser, as reported by The Daily Mail. The 67-year-old said, "This one looked more like a hand than any I have ever seen before. It looked like it was reaching out from beyond the grave. It looked very creepy."
This fungus is generally found in late October but it has made appearance early because of the wet weather.
"I found Devil's Fingers in roughly the same area last year so I was on the lookout for them. They burst out of the ground with these red tentacles or fingers," said Rosser.
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This strange-looking fungus also has other names like "octopus stinkhorn" or "octopus fungus".
All about Devil's Fingers
The fungus is native to New Zealand and Australia and is believed to have been carried to France as part of the military supplies during the First World War.
"The species is from the southern hemisphere and was first discovered in Britain in 1914," explained Wildlife Trusts.
According to experts, the fungus gets hatched from an "egg" which is slimy and gelatinous in nature and its tentacle-like arms start protruding as it grows.
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It is easy to spot because of its bright red colour, however, it is very rare in the United Kingdom.
"About 5cm high, tentacles can be up to 7cm long. Usually, there are at least 3 or 4 tentacles. Often found amongst leaf litter under trees or in parks and gardens," stated Wildlife Trusts.
"This fungus smells like rotting flesh which attracts insects to arms where the spores are found. The spores are then spread by the visiting insects," they added.
(With inputs from agencies)