Mycologists in southwestern China have identified a remarkable new species of giant macrofungus whose evolutionary lineage dates back to the aftermath of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Informally dubbed the D-rex due to its massive proportions, individual specimens of the newly classified fungus can reach heights of 20 inches and tip scales at nearly five pounds, dwarfing standard forest-floor fungal varieties commonly documented across East Asian forest ecosystems.
Phylogenetic and genomic analyses conducted on tissue samples revealed that the ancestral branch of this fungal organism diverged approximately 65 million years ago. Following the asteroid impact that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs and caused global canopy collapse, saprophytic fungi flourished on decaying plant matter across barren terrestrial landscapes. The genetic sequencing indicates that the modern specimen preserves distinctive ancestral metabolic pathways that evolved to process vast amounts of decomposing biomass during that transitional epoch.
Field researchers noted that the macrofungus thrives within humid, secluded mountain forests where microclimates have remained stable over extended evolutionary periods. Beyond expanding the catalog of extant fungal biodiversity, the discovery offers paleobiologists a living window into how terrestrial ecosystems restructured nutrient cycling in the wake of planetary mass extinction.
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Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261025073034.htm