098 Planted by Elephants
Hey Forest, some of your biggest trees were planted by elephants. They ate the fruit, walked far, and left the seeds in their dung.
Who planted what we stand under?
Who planted what you stand under?
In a forest, a huge tree shades the path. Its fruit is big and hard.
Few animals can swallow it. Elephants can.
What really happens
Elephants eat large fruits and walk long distances. The seeds pass through and are left in their dung, often far from the parent tree.
Some large-fruited trees depend heavily on elephants to spread their seeds.
How we know: Campos-Arceiz and Blake, 2011, reviewed how Asian and African elephants act as 'megagardeners' of forests.
The turn
We enjoy shade we did not plant.
Someone walked far, long ago, to plant it.
Three takeaways
- You sit in shade others planted.
- Honour the planters.
- Plant shade for those not yet born.
Thank the elephant for the shade.
He plants his trees to serve a race to come.