Mushroom munchers.

Whilst taking my woodland wanders, I have come across evidence of mushroom munchers. Holes either at the side, or on top of the fungi. Often I have wondered what has been feasting upon them, and to my delight I spotted some of the creatures responsible the other day. Slugs. They were having a wonderful time, in the damp weather, eating their way in and out of the mushrooms. As you can see from the photo it was happy days for them.

I have also spotted woodlice, on previous visits to the woods, having their lunch  on the mushrooms there.

This interesting article, from the Scientific American website, explains how one species of nomadic ant, in Malaysia, relies on a mushroom as its primary food source.

Scientific American link.

Along with these small creatures, there are many larger animals which also eat mushrooms as part of their diet, such as mice, squirrels, deer, rabbits, wild boar and of course humans. Although, as humans we do tend to buy mushrooms from the shops, as if you are an inexperienced mushroom picker, it could have life-threatening consequences. Deer and rabbits can eat mushrooms which are deadly to humans. Therefore, it is not safe to assume that if a creature has eaten a variety, then you can too.