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Giant Wood-Eating Fungus Named D-Rex Discovered in China
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News18•14-10-2026, 19:19
Giant Wood-Eating Fungus Named D-Rex Discovered in China
- •Scientists discovered a massive new fungus species named Dianjunus rex or D-rex in China's Yunnan province.
- •The fungus can grow up to 50 centimeters tall and weigh up to 2.2 kilograms, making it the largest known ascomycete.
- •DNA analysis reveals that the fungus originated 6.5 million years ago, right after the extinction of dinosaurs.
- •D-rex thrives by digesting dead and rotting wood using specialized enzymes developed to break down complex plant molecules.
- •The study, conducted by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany, was published in the journal Frontiers in Fungal Biology.
Key Questions Answered
Dianjunus rex, or D-rex, is a newly discovered giant fungus species found in the dense forests of China's Yunnan province by scientists from the Kunming Institute of Botany.
D-rex is the largest fungus found under the phylum Ascomycota, with upright fruiting bodies reaching heights of up to 50 centimeters and weights of up to 2.2 kilograms.
DNA and molecular clock analyses revealed that the Dianjuneaceae family originated about 6.5 million years ago, which is exactly 1 million years after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event wiped out dinosaurs.
