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Writer's pictureBruce Smith

Frog and Friend?


Discover the curious case of a frog in India with a mushroom growing from its side. Is it a mutualistic or commensal relationship? Nature's wonders await!
Frog in India with mushroom growth

This is no more than a curiosity, but it caught my eye because it seemed so strange (tells you something about me, I suppose).


Look closely at this picture and you'll see that this frog in India has a mushroom growing from its side. The mushroom, a type of saprotrophic decomposer, is a species of fungus that typically gets its nutrients from dead and decaying organic matter. Yet this golden-backed frog

is very much alive! This CNN report, and linked study about this species of mushroom, provide some insight into whether this may be a mutualistic or commensal relationship.


Look long and hard enough, and nature presents all sorts of new and strange encounters.

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