Nowadays, pets
It is an important part of many people's lives
Following "Carton Dog", "Pet Stone", "Mango Core".
Recent
Topic "Young people start keeping slime molds as pets"
Sparked heated discussions
Some netizens said they didn't know why
Some netizens think
"It's a very niche and
Pets with a lot of personality"
I think it's amazing and cute
So what exactly is slime mold?
on social platforms
There are many people who have exposed their own slime molds
However, there are also some netizens
Can't understand this kind of pet
"Wouldn't it be a health hazard? It didn't feel safe all the time."
"Aren't you afraid of fungal infections?"
What exactly is slime mold?
Can you get sick as a pet?
According to popular science bloggers, slime molds are neither fungi nor bacteria, but a kind of eukaryotic domain-amoeba group-slime bacteria, which are non-toxic and harmless.
It has two phases throughout its life: the vegetative phase and the reproductive phase.
The slime molds in the vegetative stage are called protoplasm masses, which are a bit like a network of mucus and grow in dark and damp places, such as the back of fallen wood, the crevices of floor tiles, and the humus layer. They are constantly splitting into branches and crawling around, devouring food particles to obtain nutrients, so they crawl around looking for something to eat, much like animals.
When it reaches the breeding stage, the slime mold will crawl to a slightly dry, sunny area, stop eating, and the whole protoplasm mass will collectively metamorphose, growing fruiting bodies like mushrooms or clumps of powder to disperse spores.
Slime molds move, multiply quickly in the environment, and can be dyed with pigments, showing a unique patterned shape.
In fact, slime molds usually hide in dark and damp places, and only in the reproductive stage will they appear in bright and slightly dry places, and will be discovered, and in the reproductive stage, the slime mold is about to turn into a fruiting body, that is, the mother is about to die and become many spores.
"The slime molds in nature will go through the cycle from birth to death very quickly, and the so-called slime mold suicide is actually their instinct as living beings, and they naturally enter the stage of reproduction, rather than being influenced by humans, they live to reproduce." There are popular science bloggers to introduce.
In addition, since slime molds crawl around to feed, they can connect all the food in the environment in the shortest possible way, scientists have used this feature of slime molds to find exits to the maze and design a rail network.
"But it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that slime molds are smart, it's also its instinct, and after finding food, it will use the shortest route to connect to food just because it's the most energy-efficient." There are popular science bloggers to introduce.
According to the breeder, due to the strong growth and reproduction ability of slime molds, it is necessary to pay attention to the problem of polluting the environment, because if you are not careful, you may make this scene that makes people's "scalp numb":
Screenshot of social platform
According to the breeder, when replacing the bedding, some slime bacteria will remain on the old bedding, but in order not to pollute the environment, it is necessary to use boiling water to scald the slime bacteria on the old bedding and climb to the outside of the bedding.
In addition, the keepers also warn that slime molds can be contaminated by mold and even die. This situation must also be dealt with so as not to have an impact on human health.
Keepers also caution not to go to the wild to collect slime molds if you don't have enough knowledge, so as not to breed mold. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to cleaning up, so as not to pollute the environment once the escaped slime mold survives successfully, and the slime mold will produce spores during the reproduction process, which may cause adverse reactions such as allergies if inhaled by the human body. In short, when treating slime mushrooms, you can try to be careful and cautious at the same time.
Popular science bloggers said that slime molds have many cute attributes, some slime molds are "I" bacteria, and they will avoid other slime molds when they find other slime molds nearby, while some slime molds have no "sense of boundary" and will deliberately get around other slime molds.
In addition, slime molds also have a "biological clock", "every few hours they blow it with cold wind, and after repeating it several times, even if it doesn't blow when the time comes, it will shrink on its own."
There are a lot of rumors about slime molds on the Internet, and when some netizens posted for help, someone in the comment area "popularized science" and said, "If this slime mold knows that you are raising it, it will commit suicide"
Said the popular science blogger
Actually, this slime fungus is called coal velvet fungus
Usually hide in damp crevices
When the right conditions are met, the firstborn will crawl out
At the same time, the mother dies
So, when people find out about it
Cashmere is basically in a state of imminent death
Instead of "killing yourself when you find out you're being raised"
For the sudden epidemic of "slime fever"
Popular science bloggers say that although slime molds are not toxic and harmless
However, it is not recommended to blindly follow the trend of breeding
"In the fruiting body stage, slime molds emit spores
may cause
People who are sensitive to dust feel uncomfortable
In addition, slime molds prefer damp and dark environments
If you don't clear the slime bacteria in time, you can't finish the food
Miscellaneous bacteria may grow."