Scientists from China, Thailand, and Mexico found a giant fungus in Yunnan, southwest China. A fungus is a living thing that can grow on wood. They call it D-rex. It grows on oak roots and breaks down wood. Its tall parts grow up to 20 inches high and weigh up to 5 pounds.
The scientists studied its genes, the instructions inside its cells. They placed it in a new group and a new family of fungi. This family may have started about 65 million years ago, soon after the dinosaurs died out.
Dead plants may have provided more food then. Its height may also help the wind carry its tiny spores. But growing so large takes a lot of energy.
