Are there any fungi that can eat animals?
Yes. The predatory fungi belong to the Phylum (Division) Zygomycota. In some mycology books they are placed in the Class Zygomycetes. The zygomycetes include a number of microscopic fungi that attack bread, dead flies and moving animals. You have probably seen the web-like filaments and black sporangia of black bread mold, especially if you allow freshly-baked bread (without preservatives) to get moldy. Other references place these fungi in the Class Deuteromycetes (Imperfect Fungi) because their sexual cycle is not fully understood; therefore, it is difficult to place them in a definite fungal class. The visible body of these fungi consists of a mass of intricately branched filaments, collectively referred to as a mycelium. Several predatory species in the genus Dactylaria attack minute nematodes called eelworms, and another fascinating species (Dactylella tylopaga) attacks microscopic amoebas in the soil. It is hard to imagine a filamentous fungus that actually lassos its prey, but t
