16 Most Bizarre Mushroom And Fungi Species In The World

With about 14,000 described mushrooms currently inhabiting dank forest floors, decaying tree trunks, and dung piles, there are bound to be some strange-looking varieties. Some depart entirely from the toadstool silhouette—the stereotypical rounded-cap-atop-a-stem set—with lengthy hairlike spines, fanning shell shapes, flower-esque pedals, and lattice designs. Others that lack uniqueness in shape are fantastic in their royal blue, indigo, and even bioluminescent colors.

The Bizarre Mushroom That Looks Like A Bleeding Tooth (Hydnellum pecki): The Bleeding Tooth is undoubtedly a bizarre mushroom species, and its appearance is also pretty unsettling. Found in various parts of the world and not to be eaten, the body of a young Bleeding Tooth mushroom "bleeds" a pigment that contains anticoagulant properties, like blood thinners. Older specimens are brownish colored. The gooey red liquid that bleeds out of this weird mushroom is actually a sap of sorts. It's made by a process called guttation, during which the soil surrounding the fungi becomes very wet and is able to force water into the roots of the mushroom through osmosis. This creates enough pressure within the mushroom that the liquid is squeezed out of it.