Homeowner Captures The Moment Alien Egg Begins To Hatch That She Found Laying In Her Yard

Feb 22, 2019

Nature is full of surprises and oddities. The miracle of life includes both the beautiful and the unusual. One of the most unusual groups of living things on Earth is the kingdom of fungi.

One day, a woman saw something unusual in her yard. It looked like a bird's egg.

She could see something inside of the egg. Part of the exterior was just transparent enough for her to see pinkish red internal contents.

The woman kept tabs on the egg. As it grew, she watched it. She got out her smartphone to record the moment that the egg hatched.

A baby bird did not come out of the egg. It was a fungus that hatched. This type of fungus is an unusual one.

Instead of growing from a bare or minimally encapsulated spore, it develops within a sort of egg. It grows well in moist, shady areas.

This fungus is called "devil's fingers" and "octopus stinkhorn." It has earned these names because of its unusual shape, which looks like four fingers coming out of the pod. The fingers are brightly colored, fleshy and curled.

Scientists are fascinated by this type of fungus. It is a relative newcomer to North America and functions as an invasive species.

The color and putrid odor of the fungus attracts flies. The flies pick up the fleshy spores and distribute them to new places. This perpetuates the growth of new fungi.

The homeowner was surprised that the egg delivered a fungus instead of an animal. The unusual appearance of the "devil's fingers" fungus has been known to startle even the most steady adults.

Even though the fungus is unsightly and quite smelly, it is actually edible. However, you should never eat any fungus unless you are certain of what it is and know that it is not toxic.

Have you ever seen an unusual plant, fungus or animal show up in your yard? What did you do? What do you think about this story? Let us know your thoughts about the octopus stinkhorn!