Ancient Species

Fungi

Fungi absorb their nutrients from their immediate environment. They do this by growing through the medium on which they feed. They then produce networks of filaments ("hyphae") which secrete digestive enzymes that allow the fungus to absorb its nutrients.

This filamentous growth makes fungi very delicate. As a result, very few fossils of large fungal bodies, such as mushrooms, have been found. Those that are found are often difficult, if not impossible, to identify. Microscopic fossils of fungi , however, are quite common.

Fungal fossils older than the Devonian Period (408 to 354 million years ago) are rare but fossils have been found from as early as the late Proterozoic Period (about 600 million years ago).