A pair of nature lovers stumbled upon a foul-smelling alien-like growth while walking in woodland. Sussex Wildlife Trust members Lisa Saw and Sue Robinson snapped the spooky specimen, which looks like an egg with protruding red tentacles, in East Sussex . The freaky fungus (Image: © Sue Robinson/ Sussex Wildlife Trust) The weird natural phenomena is actually a Devil’s fingers fungus (clathrus archeri), which is also commonly known as octopus stinkhorn.
The rare, non-native species, which could be mistaken for an extra-terrestrial creature from a sci-fi film, travelled over from Australia at the beginning of the 20th century. Tendrils sprout from the egg (Image: © Sue Robinson/ Sussex Wildlife Trust) Although rare, the fungus is constantly spreading and is appearing in more and more areas in the South and South West of England. Read more: Young man spends hundreds creating spooky maze in his back garden every year Devil’s fingers fungus starts its life in an egg-like structure, commonly called a witch’s egg.
Once it has hatched it resembles more of an octopus like creature before it collapses after a few days and rots into the woodland floor. The fungus attracts insects with its rotting meat-like odour. When the insects land on the inner surface of the fungus, its spores attach to their feet and the fungus is able to spread in this way.
Lisa told Sussex Wildlife Trust she was thrilled to see the fungus. The fungus gives off an unpleasant odour (Image: © Sue Robinson/ .