The story for kids
A mushroom forest. Mushrooms are not plants, and they're not animals either. They're a whole kingdom of their own! The biggest part of a mushroom hides under the ground: a web of thin white threads. In the forest, don't touch mushrooms and don't eat them, because lots of them are poisonous.
Facts
- Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals: they are a kingdom of their own.
- Most of a mushroom is hidden under the ground: a net of thin white threads.
- In the forest, don't touch or eat mushrooms: many are poisonous.
Numbers
- Mushroom species
- ~150,000 known
- Largest living thing
- A fungus: ~9 km²
For grown-ups
Fungi form a kingdom of their own. They have no chlorophyll and feed on ready-made organic matter. The main body of a fungus is the mycelium, a network of threads spread through the soil. The mushroom we see is only its fruiting body, which releases spores.