The Toxstool is a species of Sporovid, and cousin to the Puffstool that was recently discovered by the Rescue Corps on PNF-404.
Biology[]
Toxstools appear similar to their more vulnurable cousins: a stocky body with two stubby legs and a large mushroom cap making up the head. Its coloration is a dullish blue for the cap, with its lower body a paler gray color, with its two stalks still a reddish color like the Puffstool before it.
Reproduction[]
Being a form of mushroom, the Toxstool's main form of reproduction involve it releasing spores and spreading it as much as it possibly can. To accomplish this, the spores are released either on a smaller animal or a dead carcass, in which the spores take hold and begin to take control of the bodily functions. The infected animal (typically a Dwarf Bulborb though other animals had been reported, such as the Pyroclasmic Slooch) falls under complete control of the fungus, as the host searches for nutrients to feed said spores. Upon death, the body is consumed of its nutrients, and a juvenile Toxstool is soon emerged from the host body.
Behavior[]
As a fungus (or organism mimicking the nature of such), the Toxstool is a form of decomposer in its environment, with a diet mainly involving decomposing plants and animals. One curious behavior though is that if a recently infected animal would die near it, it would "resurrect" it by re-infecting the body with more spores, possibly to better increase the chances of fully maturing the spores on the body.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- Olimar's research on this creature suggests it is neither a fungi nor an animal, but a mix of the two. However, this statement is contradictory, since being a mix of both would actually make it both a fungus and an animal simultaneously. Not to mention, it's taxonomically impossible to list such an entity as both, however the latter would require a completely new taxonomic kingdom. Whether or not this is what he had in mind isn't elaborated on, however its taxonomic name, "Pseudofungi", obviously means "False fungus", which could give some insight into his plan of classing this beast.
- In fact, Olimar places the Toxstool (and probably other Sporovids by extension) into the unique category "Ambulofungus". Though the taxonomic rank is unspecified, it could potentially be a whole kingdom. However, this seems rather excessive for what appears to be, at face value, an ambulatory fungus.
- Any species, regardless of what it is, that becomes infected by the Toxstool's spore is henceforth designated "Parasitus pseudofungi elasticis hostus", indicating that it's now a host body, and a mere shell of its former self. Scientifically though, this doesn't really make sense for two reasons: 1. Biologically, the host would still be considered the same species it was originally. 2. The lowest taxonomic rank with a unique name is a trinomial (Genus species subspecies), and the only rank below that is a breed, but breeds aren't given unique scientific names.