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Food for Thought -
Mushroom Munching Mammals
By Mark Ramsdale, Head of Training at the MRC - Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, and Chair of the British Mycological Society Fungal Education and Outreach Committee
When people think of eating fungi (mycophagy), images of fried mushrooms, mushroom soups and risottos, or blue cheeses may come to mind. In the natural world, the edibility of fungi plays a significant role, providing nutritional diversity and driving spore dispersal.
Many mammals are among the unsung heroes helping spread fungal spores and keeping forests healthy. So, here’s a selection of cute, furry animals that have a liking for fungi as part of their diet…
Potoroo: Australia's cute truffle hunter
Let’s start with a true mycophagy superstar - the Long-footed Potoroo. This rabbit-sized marsupial from Australia is a dedicated truffle-eater! These shy creatures root around in the soil for underground (hypogeous) truffles, which often make up the bulk of their diet. As they eat, they scatter fungal spores in their droppings, helping the truffles spread and form vital underground mycorrhizal partnerships with trees. Without Potoroos, entire forests would struggle to regenerate.
Squirrels with a mushroom pantry
In the UK and across Europe, squirrels don’t just nibble on nuts - they also love fungi. In the autumn, they harvest a variety of types of mushrooms and dry them by hanging them on branches, creating their own fungal pantry to get them through the winter. It’s not just an adorable trait, it’s practical too: in the process, they help spread fungal spores and support the expansion of forest networks.
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In North American coniferous forests, Northern Flying Squirrels have a diet heavily reliant on truffles. The squirrels locate truffles using their keen sense of smell and consume them avidly, subsequently dispersing the fungal spores through their faeces. In a great example of nature’s interconnectedness and interdependency, Spotted Owls predate upon flying squirrels, spreading the fungus even more widely. This mode of spore dispersal is crucial for the propagation of these ectomycorrhizal fungi, which form symbiotic relationships with tree roots, aiding in forest health and regeneration.
Voles, mice, and the spread of the wood-wide web
A range of species of voles, wood-mice, and chipmunks forage on the forest floor for mushrooms and underground for truffles. They are key players in fungal spore dispersal, especially for mycorrhizal fungi—the kinds that form symbiotic relationships with tree roots. These small mammals eat the fungi, digest the flesh, and excrete the spores in new locations. It’s a small act with big consequences: forests thrive because of it.
Monkeys that seek out mushrooms
In the forests of Brazil and Japan, certain monkey species like Squirrel Monkeys and Japanese Macaques have been spotted eating fungi. In times when fruits are scarce, fungi may provide critical nutrients, making them an important backup food source. This suggests that primates, our closest mammal relatives, might be more mycophagous than we ever thought.
Goeldi's Monkeys actively seek out fungi and consume their fruitbodies throughout the year, but fungi are eaten much more during the early part of the dry season when fruit is rarer. Over a whole year, Goeldi's Monkeys spend near to one third of their feeding time eating fungal fruitbodies (Auricularia spp. and Ascopolyporus polychrous); during the dry season almost two thirds of feeding time can be spent on mycophagy.
Fungi aren’t just for small primates either; great apes like gorillas also eat them! In the rainforests of Central Africa, Western Lowland Gorillas have been observed consuming various mushrooms as part of their diverse, plant-based diet. Similarly, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans have been documented foraging for fungi in the wild. Although fungi make up a small proportion of their overall energy intake, they may provide important nutrients or medicinal benefits. These behaviours suggest that mycophagy is widespread among primates, offering insights into both our evolutionary history and how early humans may have interacted with wild fungi.
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Highland Hares and winter foraging
In the Scottish Highlands, Mountain Hares occasionally eat fungi and lichens when the snow covers their usual grazing grounds. While fungi aren't a major part of their diet, they offer a vital fallback in harsh conditions. Lichens - a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi - can be a valuable source of nutrients for Mountain Hares, especially in the winter when other food sources are scarce. Incidentally, the hares also eat their own poo - a phenomenon called autocoprophagy. Fungi in the hare’s poo may process the residual organic matter and produce key vitamins and minerals that the hares can use to improve their diet.
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Badgers and seasonal mushrooms
Though probably better known for eating worms and berries, European Badgers will happily dine on mushrooms when they’re in season. As opportunistic feeders, they’re part of a broad network of animals helping spread and increase fungal activity in the environment.
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Image: By kallerna - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20438656
Animals taking a walk on the wild side!
The idea of animals deliberately seeking out alcohol-laden foods is well documented. Reports of the consumption of psychoactive “magic mushrooms” that contain psilocybin or other psychedelics is less well known. While direct evidence is limited, some intriguing reports and observations suggest that some animals may choose to consume such fungi.
Reindeer in Siberia have been observed sniffing out and consuming the Fly Agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), which contains a number of psychoactive compounds such as muscimol. These reindeer reportedly behave erratically after ingestion - stumbling, frolicking, or appearing uncoordinated - fuelling local legends and possibly influencing aspects of Shamanic traditions in the region.
Image: https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/3rjpuz/fox_eating_amanita_muscaria_x_post_from_rfoxes/
As for true psilocybin-containing mushrooms, evidence of purposeful consumption by wild animals is certainly scarce. However, given that species like rodents, deer, and primates regularly forage among fungi, it's plausible that accidental ingestion does happen and that animals could return for more if the experience was rewarding or intriguing.
Anecdotal accounts describe wallabies in Tasmania becoming intoxicated from consuming fermented poppies, and elephants seeking out overripe, fermented fruit and displaying drunken behaviour. The fermentation process will undoubtedly require the action of naturally occurring yeasts, which are members of the Fungal Kingdom.
Fungal food for thought...
Many records of mycophagy are based on direct observations of animals eating fungal fruitbodies, but indirect investigations based on examinations of faecal composition are also revealing. Fungal spores can be easily detected in animal faeces; many spores, such as those of truffles, are large, pigmented, ornamented and easy to identify. DNA analysis of faecal material can also be used to indicate the fungi that have been consumed.
Whilst mycophagy may be a very obvious example of an animal-fungus interaction, there are others too. Southern Flying Squirrels, utilise thick, fungal rhizomorphs as building materials for their drays. Some bowerbird species have been observed incorporating fungi into their elaborate bowers, potentially as visual or olfactory signalling cues to attract mates, or simply to assist with the structural integrity of the bower.
Fungi aren't just decomposers or agents of disease; they're often enriching partners in natural ecosystems. They recycle nutrients supporting plant growth, and they can connect ecosystems through vast underground networks. Since most fungi can’t move, they often rely heavily on animals - like the cute, fluffy ones highlighted here - to help spread their spores. Every bite of a mushroom or truffle taken by a squirrel, vole or potoroo plays a small but significant role in keeping our natural world in balance by helping the distribution of fungi.