A mushroom growing out of the side of a frog was discovered in the foothills of the Western Ghats in India, leaving scientists stunned.
Named "Rao’s Golden-backed frogs", the researchers found this unique creature among several frogs in the Kudremukha ranges at Mala, Karkala, in Karnataka—one of the world's most bio-diverse regions.
The discovery marks the first time a mushroom was spotted growing on live animal tissue.
“To the best of our knowledge, never has a mushroom sprouting from the flank of a live frog been documented. The frog was not collected, so no prognosis is possible,” wrote the researchers in the paper.
According to fungus experts, the mushroom perched atop the frog was identified to be a Bonnet Mushroom, which is known to occur mostly on rotting wood. The frog was not captured, instead, the researchers took pictures of it and documented it in a note.
While it is not clear how could a mushroom grow out of a live frog, researchers suspect that the humid, monsoon-fed Western Ghats may have provided an ideal environment for mushroom growth, providing adequate moisture and organic matter.
But what remains unclear is the exact nature of the mushroom growing on the frog – whether it is infectious or benign, and how deep it had penetrated the skin.
The finding has also raised concerns there are hundreds of frogs and other amphibian species across the world who are facing threat from another parasitic fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis – more commonly known as the chytrid fungus.
Chytrid fungus infections have led to a steady decline of amphibian populations globally as they throw off the balance of water and salt on the skin of these species and eventually cause heart failure.
However recent studies show that this amphibian killer fungus is present in low levels in frog hotspots across India.