National Geographic - UK (2022-05)

SEED

EMBRYO

FRUIT WALL

PULP

CORE

Cross section ofactual-size

Omphalocarpum procerumfruit

Small intestine

Three times

length of

body

Large intestine

Stomach Fermentation

Food storage

Esophagus

Teeth

Large flat

molars Elephant

dung

O. procerum

100 ft tall

1

2

4

3

Gathering the fruit

Elephants bump against

tree trunks to shake off

fruit, then pierce it with

their tusks, or crack it

with their jaws, before

eating it.

Forest elephants are key ecosystem engi-

neers in Africa’s tropical rainforests. More

than a dozen tree species in the region rely

on the animals to disperse seeds through

their dung. The elephants, in turn, depend

on the highly nutritious fruit for their diet.

But climate change may be threatening

this relationship by disrupting fruit growth.

Elephants suffer when they spend more

time and energy searching for fruit, and

could be compelled to raid villagers’ crops

to supplement their diets.

GARDENERS

OF GABON

JOURNEY OF A SEED

The juice of the O. procerum fruit is a sticky glue,

which prevents elephants from spitting out the

seeds. They are the only animals that can eat the

rock-hard fruit, swallowing—and passing—the intact

seeds, making them more likely to germinate.

Processing the seed

Elephants’ digestive tracts

break down the seeds’ pro-

tective barriers; seeds pass,

on average, in 40 hours.

Fruits weigh as much as

4.5 pounds, contain up

to 40 thin seeds, and

have a nutritious pulp

that smells like garlic.

Regeneration

O. procerum trees thrive in

elephant-populated areas.

They’re rarely found where

elephants no longer live.

Scattering the seed

Elephants disperse seeds

3.3 miles, on average, from

the parent tree through

their highly fertile dung.

TAYLOR MAGGIACOMO AND RILEY D. CHAMPINE, NGM STAFF; MESA SCHUMACHER. SOURCES: EMMA R. BUSH, ROBIN C. WHYTOCK, AND KATHARINE ABERNETHY,

UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING; ALI NABAVIZADEH, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE; YVETTE HARVEY, ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY; KEW