Edinburgh Trainee Lawyer IDs Two New Fungi Species
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- Alfred Drummond-Herdman, a 27-year-old trainee lawyer in Edinburgh, has emptied his wardrobe and cupboards to fill them with terrariums and containers holding cowpats, grouse droppings, and rabbit pellets sent to him through the post.
- Drummond-Herdman photographs fungi sprouting from the dung every 30 seconds to make timelapses, attracting more than 60,000 Instagram followers and millions of views on individual posts.
- He has formally identified two new coprophilous (dung-dwelling) fungi species from British specimens, with more identifications in progress, working alongside enthusiasts and experts on online forums.
- Drummond-Herdman became fascinated with dung-fungi during pandemic walks in the Ochil Hills near Stirling, after encountering cowpats sprouting mushrooms that he describes as looking 'like a forest.'
- Kew estimates at least 2 million fungi species remain undiscovered worldwide, and Drummond-Herdman frames taxonomy as 'the frontline of biodiversity research,' saying he wants his videos to inspire conservation interest.
- Recent viral posts include footage of a dog-vomit slime mould appearing to consume a living ant and a conecap mushroom growing from deer droppings; the dung itself does not smell because it comes from herbivores and is mostly undigested plant matter.
Why it matters: By formally identifying two new species from a bedroom lab built on donated herbivore dung, Drummond-Herdman shows amateur taxonomists can make real contributions to biodiversity science — at a moment when Kew estimates at least 2 million fungi species remain undescribed, and his millions of views suggest social media can draw fresh public attention to taxonomy's ranks.
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