myrmepropagandist on Nostr: Whatever Prototaxites was it was huge. For a long time they were assumed to be trees. ...

Whatever Prototaxites was it was huge. For a long time they were assumed to be trees. The current accepted theory is the giant fungi one based on their composition. But no one can say why they needed to be so tall ... & how did they anchor themselves to the ground?

Linda Graham noticed a similarity between Prototaxites and rolled up lichens. Basically sometimes the wind naturally rolls mats of lichen into cigar shaped tubes. 2/

What if they were just... rolled up mats?
https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3732/ajb.0900322