Deep Shroom

The Deep Shroom is a hazardous flora species found in abundance in the Blood Kelp Zones and their caves, in small clusters. It is also found in the Lost River and the Sea Treader's Tunnel Caves. It can be used as a raw material in the manufacturing of Hydrochloric Acid. It is a relative of the Acid Mushroom.

The player can pick up the mushrooms by hand. Using a knife on them produces four Deep Shroom Spores, but causes 8 damage to the player due to acid being released into the water.

The Deep Shroom, and its spores, can be planted in an Exterior Growbed or in an Alien Containment.

Despite being a relative of the common Acid Mushrooms, Deep Shrooms cannot be used to fabricate Batteries.

Appearance
The Deep Shroom appears as a stout mushroom with a white cap, becoming pink towards the centre, and a dark grey stem. The Deep Shroom is similar in appearance to the Acid Mushroom, as they share the same model but have different colorations.

Behavior
Like the Acid Mushroom, the Deep Shroom posses highly acidic compounds in its flesh that leaches into the water if its outer-skin is pierced. As such, harvesting spores from the Deep Shroom with a knife triggers its acidic flesh defense, dealing 8 damage to the player and surrounding structures and creatures.

It is possible for this to cause a chain reaction, with one Deep Shroom being destroyed damaging other surrounding Deep Shrooms. This chain reaction can instantly kill a player, wreck a Seabase or heavily damage vehicles, so it is advised to separate the Deep Shrooms before the player harvests their spores.

Deep Shrooms will shrink upon fluctuations in the local water pressure. They will shrink if the player approaches them, returning to their original size if the player holds still or leaves the area.

Trivia

 * The Deep Shroom is a subspecies of the Acid Mushroom found in shallower biomes. Like other deep sea flora and fauna, its difference in coloration is thus an evolutionary mechanic, which can also be found in many real-life animal and plant species - a direct result of the loss of pigmentation due to restrictions in available nutrients.
 * Certain Trello notes refer to the Deep Shroom as the Ghost Mushroom.