Chapter 1
The prehistoric survivor
Chapter 2
The tree's secret gender-bending dance
Chapter 3
The great marketing rebrand
Chapter 4
Beyond the guacamole bowl
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of the avocado
Ch 1 · The prehistoric survivor
futura The Prehistoric Survivor
That giant ground sloth swallowed the whole seed to save the avocado!
futura Starting in Coxcatlan Cave around 10,000 BC, Mesoamerican tribes domesticated avocados by 5000 BC, filling a gap left
futura Dramatic warm light illuminates a sliced green avocado and its massive central seed.
Fun Fact
Sloth snacks: Giant ground sloths once swallowed avocados whole, digesting the pulp and dispersing the giant pits safely in piles of natural fertilizer.
Glossary
megafauna (noun)
Large or giant animals, especially of a given area or period. Around 13,000 years ago, extinct giant ground sloths dispersed the fruit's seeds by swallowing them whole.
Large or giant animals, especially of a given area or period. Around 13,000 years ago, extinct giant ground sloths dispersed the fruit's seeds by swallowing them whole.
Quiz
About how many years ago did early Mesoamerican humans start domesticating and protecting the avocado?
Quiz
Which giant prehistoric creature is famous for helping the avocado survive by swallowing its seed whole?
Quiz
What do scientists call plants like the avocado whose original animal partners have gone extinct?
Quiz
What did the Aztec word 'ahuacatl' commonly double as due to how the fruit dangles in pairs?