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Dartmoor's Devilish Delight: Rare Sighting of the Octopus Stinkhorn Fungus
31 Oct
Summary
- Rare discovery of the devil's fingers fungus in Dartmoor, Devon
- Fungus has an otherworldly, gruesome appearance and a putrid smell
- Believed to have arrived in England from Australia and New Zealand in 1914
On October 29th, 2025, a walker made a rare and eerie discovery in the Dartmoor region of Devon, England. They stumbled across a lone devil's fingers fungus, a peculiar and unsettling-looking lifeform, rising from the earth like a hand emerging from a grave.
The devil's fingers fungus, also known as the octopus stinkhorn, is a species native to Australia and New Zealand that is believed to have arrived in England over a century ago, likely hitchhiking with war supplies such as wool. This alien invader is known for its otherworldly, gruesome appearance and a putrid smell akin to rotting flesh, which attracts flies to spread its spores.
The walker's discovery was reported to a local navigation tutor, Martin Williams, who was able to pinpoint the exact location of the fungus and guide a curious nature enthusiast to the site. There, they found the devil's fingers fungus, slightly desiccated but still intact, its spindly blackened fingers twisted into a fist, emerging from a pale gelatinous shell at the base.
