An entry into the Fungi theme week that quickly ended up turning into another Mossyfluff writeup. Enjoy (?)
“Excerpt from Nature and the Mossyfluff”
"…While most of the Fungi kingdom have a symbiotic relationship with this breed there are some that make a veritable meal of them.
Take for instance Beauveria bassiana as seen in figure 2.*
A particular fungus that typically targets moths, cicadas, and beetles. While instances have been found in the field there have been more and more evidence that humans have been using this as “natural” pesticide. Infected insect hosts have then brought it deeper into the surrounding nature and have been infecting feral herds of fluffies.
Adult fluffies seem to unaffected by the fungus as by this point their biology, while admittedly frail compared to most wildlife, is too strong. What researchers have found that it pointingly ravages the weanlings and the very young foals. Incident reports have found abandoned nests of dead younglings covered in the fungi.
To combat this perceptive members of a herd may abandon young that start showing strong signs of the infection.**
Observed instances of this typically has a mother and any and all infected young being taken a fair distance away from its herd and burrow. As soon as it deems it far enough a mother will then run back. The infected will attempt to run after its mother but on top of its lesser then stellar physiology the fungus will have greatly weakened it. If the infected has not been killed by natural predators or happenstance in a few days the fungus will have at this point will have overtaken its host body.
While insect hosts will have normally died at this point it has been postulated because of it’s unique artificially created biology the unfortunate creature will instead live for up to a week.*** Whether circumstantial or not this allows the fungus to spread further as the weak, mewling, and rotting body of the fluffy will draw more potential carriers.****"
*While this specimen was found in the Appalachian mountains similar cases have been found in Canada, Norway, and Japan.
**Visually or orally i.e “bad smell”
***Dependant on the stage of life of the fluffy before infection
****This specimen “dubbed Turtledove” was humanely euthanized by the researcher after recording.