Can These Trees Actually Walk Across the Jungle or is it Urban Legend?

Amaze Lab

Socratea exorrhiza tree is often referred to as the walking palm. That’s because according to a scientific paper from 1980, if another tree falls on top of it, the walking palm can walk out from under the weight and right itself once again.

Transcript

00:00This is the Socratea exeriza tree, or what is more often referred to as the walking palm.

00:09That's because according to a scientific paper from 1980, if another tree falls on

00:13top of it, the walking palm can walk out from under the weight and right itself once again.

00:18Legend also says the trees chase sunlight, moving its roots like legs and changing position

00:23by upwards of 65 feet a year.

00:25So is any of that true?

00:27Unfortunately, probably not.

00:28More recent studies have found that rather than walking out from under falling trees,

00:32the walking palm simply grows new roots and taps the ground again for stability.

00:36Though researchers say it does stretch out towards areas with more sunlight, as most

00:40plants do, and likely puts down more roots once again to maintain that position.

00:43Still, it's not hard to see how a legend like this one came to be, with the trees still

00:47like roots, creating a visage of movable legs.

00:51And those iconic root legs are a bit of a mystery as well.

00:54Researchers initially believed they were to protect the tree against flooding events,

00:57but more recent research has discovered that's likely not the case, meaning these trees,

01:01though unable to trot across the jungle, still have some mysteries left to be discovered.

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