Exploring Fungi Facts: What There Is to Know

Fungi Are Closer to Animals Than Plants

Until the 1960s, taxonomists classified fungi as plants. It seemed logical since they could not move around or ingest food in the same way as animals. However, scientific advances have revealed that fungi are actually closer to animals than plants.

For example, plant cell walls contain cellulose, whereas fungal cell walls contain chitin. This fibrous substance is the same material that makes up the exoskeletons of arthropods like insects and shellfish.