Dung Cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus) Fungus Pictures

Wild Macro | Natural History Fine Art Photography by Timothy Boomer

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Dung Cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus)

The dung cannon or hat thrower (Pilobolus crystallinus) is a tiny fungus species which grows on the dung of herbivorous animals. In a similar fashion to the cannonball fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus), the dung cannon can shoot its spore mass up to 2 meters away. Even more remarkable, the fruiting bodies aim towards the light before launching, thereby increasing the chances of their spores landing on vegetation that will be eaten and eventually dispersed after passing through an animal's digestive tract. Though the substrate may be unpleasant, the mushroom itself is quite beautiful, especially when the fruiting bodies are still developing and bejeweled with tiny guttation droplets.

Dung cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus, Pilobolus kleinii, or similar Pilobolus species). Focus-stacked composite of 402 exposures at 10x lifesize. Cultivated in a moist chamber on cow dung collected from Solano County, California, USA.
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Dung cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus, or similar Pilobolus species). Dung eyelash cups (Cheilymenia stercorea, or similar) add splashes of orange color to the scene. Focus-stacked composite of 119 exposures at 5x lifesize. Browns Valley Open Space Preserve, Solano County, California, USA.
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Dung cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus, or similar Pilobolus species). Focus-stacked composite of 277 exposures at 10x lifesize. Cow dung collected from Solano County, California, USA, and cultivated in a moist chamber.
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Dung cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus, or similar Pilobolus species) and dung eyelash cups (Cheilymenia stercorea, or similar) on cow dung. Wide-angle macro showing the tiny fungi in relation to their environment. Browns Valley Open Space Preserve, Solano County, California, USA.
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