"Mesmerizing Time-Lapse: The Staggering Growth and Decay of a Phallic Mushroom"
A timelapse video captured the short but impressive life cycle of a phallic mushroom known as the stinkhorn fungus. The mushroom, resembling a penis, emerges from balls that hang around like human genitalia. The mature fungus bursts forth at a rapid rate, covered in a green-brown jelly that smells like rotting corpses. This adaptation helps the fungus disperse its spores through carrion-feeding flies and other invertebrates. The video shows the mushroom attracting flies before collapsing down in a flaccid heap, successfully dispersing its spores for further growth.