A perplexed homeowner took to Facebook after finding an enormous growth under the floorboards, and people think they have worked out what it is.
Hannah Sycamore, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, made an unnerving discovery whilst a friend of hers was ripping some of her floorboards up.
And we all know what kind of reputation Australia has for crazy findings...
After posting a picture of what can only be described as a giant black spider web, she left the internet puzzled, whilst some thought they worked out exactly what it is.
Advert
She uploaded a picture of the creepy slime growth to an Australian Facebook group concerning fungus, and captioned the picture ‘Any ideas what this is?’.
The picture displayed the crazy - but also disturbing - growth, which could for sure have been picked straight out of a horror movie.
Facebook commenters came up with all different kinds of theories, whilst others cracked some jokes.
One person compared the black roots to ‘Venom’ from the Marvel films.
Which now we're looking at it, really isn’t a bad comparison.
Another commenter suggested that it looked like a scene out of Netflix's successful sci-fi horror series, Stranger Things.
However, others came up with some concrete theories, suggesting that it could actually be slime mould, black mould, or even potentially tree roots.
Black mould could possibly be the worst outcome, after having been linked to causing a number of health concerns such as difficulty breathing and dementia.
Adam Labrock, the 'Head Fun Guy' at the Mushroom Co, said: “Not a slime mould.
“A black mould is possible.
“It’s probably something you need to get a structural engineer to look at.”
He also suggested that Armillaria, which is a type of fungus that can often be found growing amongst tree roots, has spread out of control and infiltrated underneath the floorboards.
Dr. Patricia Kaishian, the Curator of Mycology at the New York State Museum in Albany, told the New York Post: “Without examining the fungus in person (looking at it microscopically and looking for other signatures in the structure) I can’t be 100% sure.
“But this looks like the mycelium of ‘wet rot’ fungus called Coniophora Puteana, sometimes also called ‘cellar rot’ or ‘kellerschwam’ in German.
“This would be my guess, going off these photos alone.”
It seems as though even professional mycologists are stumped by the discovery, either way, we’re just glad it’s not underneath our floorboards!
Topics: Australia, Stranger Things, Weird, Facebook, Social Media, Science, Health
Mia Williams