"A couple of days ago, I noticed that the mushrooms were gone, and there were scratch marks in the damp earth at the base where the mushrooms had been. I am curious as to what animal could have eaten the mushrooms, and if that animal is in any danger from poisoning. I see raccoons, possums, squirrels, and birds on my backyard camera."
"Mushrooms are a treat for wildlife as they have a high water content, are a good source of protein, and a good source of vitamins and phosphorus. Rats, squirrels, deer, box turtles, wild turkeys, and wild boars, just to name a few that might be visiting your yard, all love mushrooms. The scratches you observed lead me to think of turkeys, but there's no way to know for certain."
Winter rains cause mushrooms to appear widely in Bay Area yards. Animals cannot identify mushroom species and instead rely on taste, outcome and experience to decide what to eat. If a wild animal becomes ill after eating a mushroom and survives, it will avoid that species and similar-tasting fungi in the future. Two particularly unsafe mushrooms in the Bay Area are the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata), commonly found near oak trees. Many species—rats, squirrels, deer, box turtles, wild turkeys and wild boars—consume mushrooms for moisture, protein, vitamins and phosphorus. Scratch marks near eaten mushrooms can suggest turkeys but are not conclusive.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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