Nowadays, keeping pets has gradually become an important part of the lives of many young people. After keeping "cardboard box dogs", "pet stones" and "mango pits", many people have started keeping slime mold.
Recently, the topic "Young people are starting to keep slime mold as pets" became a trending topic, sparking heated discussions among netizens. Some netizens expressed confusion; others thought it was "a very niche and unique pet," finding it magical and cute.
Slime mold is becoming a popular pet among elementary school students.
"I'm falling behind the trend!" Recently, Ms. Chu, a science teacher at an elementary school in Hangzhou, told reporters that students now like to keep a rather novel pet—slime mold.
Some parents said their children were insisting on keeping slime mold as pets, saying they "didn't understand it."
Open any social media platform, and you'll find plenty of discussion about this "very niche and unique pet." Many netizens are sharing photos of their slime mold pets, some posting feeding videos and care logs, others showing off how beautiful their slime molds are.
On shopping platforms, searching for "slime mold" brings up many products, each with hundreds or even thousands of buyers.
One seller said that initially, most buyers of slime mold were college students and young people in their twenties and thirties, but later the number of primary school students buying slime mold increased.
Furthermore, the screenwriter of the TV series "Little Reunion" specifically designed one of the children's characters to love raising slime molds, which helped many parents and children understand this very cute creature and not be afraid of it just because its name contains the word "mold." In addition, many children and young people nowadays like to keep pets, and the quiet and well-behaved slime molds can be a perfect companion for them while they study and work.
What exactly is slime mold that can be kept as a pet?
Not only parents, but also many netizens are asking, "What exactly is this slime mold that can be kept as a pet?"
A science blogger explained that slime molds are neither fungi nor bacteria, but rather organisms belonging to the eukaryotic domain, the supergroup Amoeba, and the class Slimemycetes. They are non-toxic and harmless.
Its life cycle has two stages: the nutrition stage and the reproduction stage.
In their trophic stage, slime molds are called protoplasmic masses, which resemble a network of slime and grow in dark, damp places, such as the backs of fallen logs, the cracks in floor tiles, and in layers of humus. They constantly divide into branch-like structures and crawl around, obtaining nutrients by devouring food particles. Their crawling and searching for food in this manner is very similar to that of animals.
During the reproductive stage, slime molds crawl to slightly drier, sunnier places and stop feeding. The entire protoplasmic mass transforms, growing mushroom-like or powdery fruiting bodies and spreading spores.
Slime molds are mobile, multiply rapidly in the environment, and can be dyed with pigments, exhibiting unique patterns and shapes.
Because slime molds forage by crawling around, they can connect all food sources in their environment using the shortest routes. Scientists have utilized this characteristic to help slime molds find exits from mazes and design railway networks. In 2019, the Paris Zoo even exhibited slime molds as special animals. They have attracted public attention and are hailed as the safest experimental organisms.
"But to praise slime molds for being intelligent based on this is actually a bit of an exaggeration. It's just their instinct. The behavior of connecting food with the shortest route after finding it is simply because it saves the most energy," said the science blogger.
According to one breeder, slime molds have a strong ability to grow and reproduce, so it's important to be careful about environmental pollution, because if you're not careful, your home could end up with a scene that makes your "scalp crawl".
In addition, some breeders warn that slime mold can become contaminated with fungi and even die. If this occurs, it must be addressed to prevent any adverse effects on human health.
The breeder also cautions against collecting slime mold from the wild without sufficient knowledge, as this could lead to mold growth. Furthermore, thorough cleaning is essential to prevent escaped slime mold from surviving and polluting the environment. Additionally, slime mold produces spores during reproduction, which, if inhaled, may cause allergic reactions or other adverse effects. In short, while attempting to cultivate slime mold is possible, caution is paramount.
