The baobab is very smart and is built for its environment. These trees can store thousands of liters of water in their trunks so that they can survive during the dry seasons. They are like squirrels storing food to eat during the winter. Since the baobab is so tall, they use birds and bats as pollinators instead of bees or butterflies. The animals live in their branches and help to pollinate the flowers to create fruit. When the fruit is ripe and drops from the branches, other animals will eat it and spread its seeds. Everyone works together to stay alive and healthy.
My favorite fact about the baobab tree is that they can communicate with each other! That's right, they use a mycorrhizal network. This network is made of fungi and it lets the trees talk about the location of water, nutrients, and threats. You can think of it like Instagram: the trees post updates about their life for the other trees to learn from.
While baobabs are very strong, they can be harmed by their environment. Climate change is a big problem for the baobab trees. They need a few good rains during the wet season to store water for the year. In years with long droughts, the trees are not able to prepare for the dry seasons. There are also bugs and fungi that attack the inside of baobab trees to take the tree's nutrients and stored water. While there are some varieties of baobab trees that are endangered, the African baobab trees are thriving. This doesn't mean we shouldn't take care of them. Remember, it is all of our jobs to help protect the Earth and all of the plants and animals here!
