Subject: Re: need info. on fungi-eating mammals

From: [email-masked] (Sigvard Svensson)
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995 23:26:48 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
(VAN TETS IAN G) wrote:

>        While some work on fungi-eating marsupials has been done here, I 
>have been unable to find very much on mammals feeding on fungi outside 
>Australia.  If someone knows any refernces related to this topic, could 
>they please forward them to me?  My Email address is [email-masked]
>
>        For those of you who are interested, the fungi involved were 
>hypogeal fungi usually associated with the roots of Eucalyptus, Acacia 
>and Banksia.  Many of the spores in the rat f¾ces were viable.  I suspect 
>the rats are an important dispersal agent for some of the fungal species.

Hi,
Although I (for the moment at least) do not have any published references
on the topic, I have some field experiences and secondhand observations
>from  south Sweden that might be of interest.

I have personally observed cows eating *Hygrocybe punicea* and *Agaricus*
spp. when there were a lot of them. *Armillaria mellea *(coll.) clusters
on stumps are often seen grazed in a way that points out deers as grazers
(also other traces of deers at those places).  Deers are also known to
search for hypogeous fungi, traces of which often can be seen during
autumn at the bases of trees and bushes. The same applies to squirrels
(Red squirrel I think the european species is usually called) and small
rodents. The first hypogeous fungi I found (*Hydnotrya tulasnei*), I found
because of a small hole digged in the soil surface by some rodent. The
sporocarps showed clear toothmarks from the rodent.  There are also an
observation from Denmark of a squirrel digging in the ground and obviously
seeking for the *Tuber* species that the observer then found in the hole. 
Also Wild Boars are sureley big harvesters of these fungi, which I think
is strongly supported by the fact that the compounds responsible for the
odour of some mature truffle species are (almost) the same as the sexual
pheromons of female boars. 

As on the role of (especially) rodents as dispersers I completely agree
with your assumption on the importance for hypogeous fungi.

Furthermore (and a bit out of the scope of this): the history of edible
fungi in Sweden (among other northwest european countries, I believe) is
closely connected to domesticated mammals (i.e. cows) as people observed
which fungi the cows ate and then used the same for food (but in older
times only during times of cropfailures; eating mushrooms was very much
connected with emergency situations here).

Regards
/Sigvard

-- 
____________________________________________

Sigvard Svensson
Mycologist, Computer-Adviser, SDA
E-mail: [email-masked]
____________________________________________
                                                  
Tel: 046-222 40 61 (Int.:+46 46 222 40 61)
Fax: 046-222 42 34 (Int.:+46 46 222 42 34)
Telex: 812 6154 352 SICS
Teletex: 2401-812 6154 352=SICS

Botanical museum        
Oestra Vallgatan 18
S-223 61 Lund, Sweden
Internpost: HS 22
____________________________________________
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From: [email-masked] (Angel Montesinos Amilibia)
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 1995 09:52:55 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>,

> >they please forward them to me?  My Email address is [email-masked]

 I have also observed squirrels eating Boletus (Suillus) luteus, and
sheeps eating Tricholoma terreum.

-- 
Angel Montesinos Amilibia
Departamento de Geometria y Topologia
Universidad de Valencia (Spain)
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Gareth Renowden)
Date: Wed, 08 Nov 1995 10:03:24 +0000

> sheeps eating Tricholoma terreum.

In the UK, squirrels seem to eat many different kind of mushrooms -
especially the ones I'm trying to find! Curiously, they seem to prefer to
eat the stems rather than the caps.

-- 
Gareth Renowden                      l
Publishing & marketing consultant    l  "I don't know what I want,
Voice +44 (0)181 241 4852            l     but I want it NOW!"
Fax +44 (0)181 943 4294              l    Sir Henry Rawlinson
e-mail [email-masked]         l     (c) Viv Stanshall

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From: [email-masked] ("Laurence N Mann")
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 01:45:01 GMT

>"cinghiali" (I don't know the english word for it<

wild boar.

And very tasty it is too.

Laurence Mann

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From: Marco Floriani <[email-masked]>
Date: 8 Nov 1995 15:35:47 GMT

Hi,

I haven't got much information on the topic, but I can tell you something on
basis of my personal observations: I know that roe-deers and squirrels eat some
bits of Cantharellus cibarius and also of Boletus edulis (just like us!); a
friend of mine told me that the italian common name of Boletus edulis and
allied
species ("porcini") is due to the fact that pigs and especially the "cinghiali"
(I don't know the english word for it¸ the latin is "Sus scrofa", a sort of
wild
pig) use to eat them. Finally, some animals belonging to the family Cervidae
(e.g. roe-deers) love to eat some hypogeous fungi, especially Elaphomyces
granulatus and the very similar E. muricatus. Actually, the latin generic name
(Elaphomyces) means exactly "fungus (myces) of the deer (elaphus)".
I hope this can be of help.

Greetings, Marco.

________________________________________________________________________________
Marco Floriani
Via Vigolana, 8
38057 Pergine Valsugana (TN)
Tel    : 0461/510450 
E-mail : <[email-masked]>
________________________________________________________________________________

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From: [email-masked] (Michael Muirhead)
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 95 02:37:49 GMT

>sheeps eating Tricholoma terreum.

Here on the Queen Charlottes, I have observed Sitka Blacktail Deer and squirrels eating 
Cantharellus cibarius... the squirrels also seem quite fond of Boletus edulis, 
Cantharellus tubaeiformis and Russula xerampelina.  If the mushrooms are small enough to 
carry, squirrels will often leave half-chewed caps sitting on stumps or logs, several 
yards from where they grew.

            (((((((U)))))))
         Livin' on island time
Michael Muirhead <[email-masked]>
  Box 255  Masset  BC   V0T 1M0   Canada