Are slime molds plants or animals?
As a rule, we can tell the plants from the animals with no trouble at all. We do not confuse the lion with the dandelion, the crow with the crocus or the pecan with the toucan. But certain small living things puzzle even the experts. The slime molds are classified , as both plants and animals. The small slithery slime molds live very secret lives and many types refuse to perform their life cycles in captivity. Countless varieties may exist, but so far only about 406 species have been identified. No more than 30 have been studied in complete detail under laboratory conditions. The fascinating study of slime molds is claimed by both plant and animal researchers. And they are classified in both these branches of biology. As animals, they are classified in the order Mycetozoa of the single celled phylum Protozoa. As plants, they are classified in their own phylum, Myxophyta. Each of these strange living things dwells in a borderline world between the plant and animal kingdoms. It leads a d
