 Both species of Spongiforma are known only from their original collection locations . S. thailandica was found growing on the ground in an old growth forest in Khao Yai National Park ( Nakhon <unk> Province , Thailand ) , at an elevation of about 750 metres ( 2 @,@ 460 ft ) . The fungus is thought to grow in a mycorrhizal association with Shorea <unk> and Dipterocarpus gracilis , species considered to be endangered and critically endangered , respectively , by the International Union for Conservation of Nature . Spongiforma squarepantsii was collected from the ground where it was growing solitarily under undetermined dipterocarp trees in Lambir Hills National Park ( Sarawak State , Malaysia ) , northern Borneo . This tropical rainforest receives about 3 @,@ 000 mm ( 120 in ) of rain yearly , with average temperatures ranging from 24 to 32 ° C ( 75 to 90 ° F ) . Spongiforma species have lost the ability to eject their spores forcefully , and have distinctive odours , suggesting that the fungus relies on the activity of animals to help disperse spores . Because the island habitat of the genus restricts gene flow and because the two known species are separated by considerable distance geographically , the authors suggest that other unexplored , isolated tracts of dipterocarp forests between Thailand and Malaysia may contain additional species . 
