An expedition team of mycologists spent more than a week searching the Nahuelbuta Mountains for the mushrooms of the fungus, timing the expedition for the exact same time of year when Norberto Garrido originally found the mushrooms.🎥 (2/7)

They found a very small mushroom that might have belonged to the Big Puma Fungus, but they couldn't make a positive identification in the field. They decided to take the mushroom to the lab to examine it under the microscope. (3/7)

After almost a week of searching, that was the only mushroom they found that could possibly be the Big Puma Fungus. But they weren't convinced it was the species they were looking for. The very last day in the field, they led a hike with local mushroom enthusiasts to teach them…

They told the hikers about what had brought them to the Nahuelbuta Mountains. During the hike, two participants found several small brown mushrooms. They matched all the characteristics of the Big Puma Fungus. (5/7)

The team couldn't believe it, screaming and embracing each other in the field. They collected the mushroom, leaving the mycelium in the ground, and brought it back to Fungi Foundation's fungarium (FFCL). (6/7)

After several months of DNA testing, comparing the mushrooms to the original mushroom Garrido collected in the 80s, they confirmed the mushrooms found on the hike were the Big Puma Fungus. (7/7)

@rewild @fungifoundation I think there are *many* cases of mushroom species that have only been observed once.