Pando, the Giant Among Us
An amazing perspective of the largest living creature that looks like a forest.
Appearance
Observing from a distance, Pando, located in Richfield, Utah, might appear as a normal forest like others. It consists of a vast amount of trees which somehow all change their appearances at the same time throughout the seasons.
Pando has been existing on Earth for more than 80000 years [1], longer than any known human civilization. Throughout our history, we have mistaken Pando as just another heaven-like forest, until it was not.
Pando’s amazing facts
The researcher discovered a shocking truth. All the trees share the same DNA, which suggests that they are actually just one giant living organism and the largest to be discovered so far.
Each of the approximately 47,000 [1] or so trees in the grove is genetically identical and all the trees share a single root system. This means that all the water and nutrients can be distributed equally among the trees of Pando.
While many trees spread through flowering and sexual reproduction, quaking aspens usually reproduce asexually by sprouting new trees from the expansive lateral root of the parent.
How to visit Pando?
Spanning 107 acres and weighing 6,615 tons, Pando is believed to be one of the biggest living organisms that we have discovered so far. If we measure by the dry weight of the creature, one’s weight in water, Pando is undeniably the heaviest living organism that has been discovered.
If you ever wanted to visit Pando, it is located one mile southwest of Fish Lake on SR-25. Doctor Creek Recreation Site is a US National Forest Service Campground located within Pando if you want to spend a night inside a giant, ancient organism.
Source:
[1]: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/fishlake/home/?cid=STELPRDB5393641
