Every Smart Alek out there should know that the largest organism on earth is not the blue whale nor the massive Sequoia trees (neither is it Pando - the "Trembling Giant" of Utah). Literally, it would seem people are barking up the wrong tree as the largest organism known may not actually be an animal or a plant. Instead, it would seem that the largest organism may actually be a humble fungus.

But there are two fungi, competing for the title the "humongous fungus." Travel to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and one can find the first humongous fungus. But travel across the nation to Oregon and one will be greeted with the humongous-est fungus that's orders of magnitude larger.

What These Massive Fungi Are

Some of these fungi have been quietly growing and spreading their way through the forest floors since the last ice age. As they grow they travel along the root systems of trees and decaying wood, infecting and killing the trees as they go. These are not friends of the trees that it feeds on!

These fungi - like the one in Oregon, grow and spread mostly underground with the bulk of the fungus not being visible from the surface. It comes visible when it sends up mushrooms in the autumn - this is when the organism blooms with its "honey mushrooms" as surface fruits.

  • Invisible: The Fungi are Most Invisible Being Subterranean - Except for Their Flowering Mushrooms

As there has been low competition for land, these fungi have been able to grow to staggering sizes and may cover more area than any other single living organism.

Related: The 10 Tallest Trees In The World (& Where To See Them)

The Humongous Fungus - Oregon

The humongous fungus in Oregon is a species of pathogenic fungus (mushroom) called Armillaria ostoyae. It is common to both hardwood and conifer wood in the forests west of the Cascade Range in Oregon. This fungus is just another of the many natural wonders of visiting the Cascades.

"While these Armillaria genets on the Malheur National Forest are huge in size and old in

years, they are mostly hidden from sight. Mushrooms are produced for a short period of time in the fall season, usually following the first rains, and will appear at the base of live-infected or recently-killed trees."

- US Department of Agriculture on The Humongous Fungus

The rise of Armillaria or the Humongous Fungus of Oregon has come at the expense of the trees of the forest. It grows into the trees and spreads under their bark.

First, the fungus digests the living wood and then moves on to digesting the deadwood of the scummed trees. In Oregon, it is possible to see entire hills in the forest that have been wiped out of their trees. This is the easiest way to indirectly see the massive subterranean organism, just look for all the many trees that it has killed.

The Armillaria genus is not a picker eater, it attacks all sorts of plants

  • Location: Oregon's Malheur National Forest

It could be the largest living organism on the planet by volume, area, and mass - an impressive title. Still given how new these discoveries are, it is very possible that there are even larger ones around the world.

  • Area: 3.7 Square Miles or 2,400 Acres
  • Weight: As Much As 35,000 Tons (Blue Whales "Only" Weigh up to 150 Tons)
  • Age: Possibly As Old As 8,650 Years Old

Current Holder: Of The Title for The Humongous-est of Funguses

Related: A Truffle-Hunting Tour Might Just Be Your New Favorite Pastime In Florence, Italy

The Humongous Fungus - Michigan

located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is the nation's first "Humongous Fungus". This giant fungus was first reported in the early 1990s.

It was found that in one part of the forest the Armillaria fungus-infected oak trees had been harvested. But later when red pines were planted in the same location, the seedlings were killed by the fungus. It was soon found that the underground mycelia of this one individual fungal colony. It was reported to cover some 15 hectares or 37 acres, weigh over 9.5 tons, and be about 1,500 years old. But more recent estimates have dramatically revised its size adding weight to the "humongous" in the fungus's name.

It is now thought to be 2,500 years of age and weighs around 440 tons (or around three blue whales).

  • Area: 15 Hectares or 37 Acres
  • Weight: Over 440 Tons
  • Age: 2,500 Year

This fungus has become something of a tourist attraction in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. While Michigan's Uppers may be proud of their Humongous fungus, it pails compared to that of Oregon's fungus.

It is one of the pities of life that the soil and wood of the forests are not transparent. For if it was, one's socks would be blown off with just how big these organisms are.

Next: Guide to Sequoia National Park And General Sherman (The Largest Living Tree On Earth)