Ready for some really BIG riddles? See if these brain teasers stump you. (Hint: They all have the same answer.)
- What can live for thousands of years and never stops growing?
- What living thing is much taller than the tallest dinosaur?
- What living thing weighs millions of pounds?
If you guessed the giant sequoia tree, you got it right! The sequoia is a real type of tree that grows along the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and is sure to wow you!
Photo credit: Claudio Soldi/Shutterstock
Not Just Old…Very, Very Old!
A few humans have lived more than 115 years and some whales and tortoises can live to be older than 200, but giant sequoias beat them all. Believe it or not, the oldest sequoia, named "President," checks in at a whopping 3,200 years old and is still living and growing in California's Sequoia National Park. And it's not the only positively ancient sequoia.
How do we know that these trees are so old? You may know that you can tell a tree's age by counting the number of rings in its trunk…but of course you have to cut the tree to see its rings, and who wants to do that? Luckily, we can also count the rings on similar fallen trees and then estimate a living tree's age based on that information.
A sequoia has a lot going for it that helps keep it alive for so long. For starters, its super-thick bark protects it from hungry bugs and direct lightning strikes. And while forest fires burn most trees to a crisp and kill their seeds, fiery blazes can actually help sequoias because the heat helps a sequoia's cones to open so the seeds can spill out, allowing new trees to take root.
Image credit: Library of Congress; liberty statue: Axel Wolf/Shutterstock;
oak: Martial Red/Shutterstock; male: Persalius/Shutterstock
How Big?
President may be the oldest sequoia, but it's not the largest. That title goes to the "General Sherman," which is 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter at the base and still growing in Sequoia National Park. Try taking a tape measure (or several) sometime and measuring that out. It's pretty massive! Also, the General Sherman is 275 feet (84 meters) tall, which is as tall as a 25-story building.
How Heavy?
Sure, the blue whale is pretty hefty, weighing in at about 330,000 pounds (149,685 kilograms), but it's hard to fathom the massiveness of the General Sherman, which weighs more than 2.5 million pounds (over 1.25 million kilograms)! You can't put a tree on a scale, so scientists measure its height and circumference and then do some fancy math to estimate its weight.
Photo credit: Stanislav Kachyna/Shutterstock
Why Protect Sequoias?
So many reasons! All trees help the environment, and sequoias do it in a very big way by producing huge amounts of oxygen that we breathe and by filtering out pollutants from the air. They also slow heavy rain as it falls to help it soak into the soil, and they prevent eroding soils from harming waterways. Plus, many animals, from squirrels to salamanders, make their homes in and around sequoias.
Majestic sequoia trees are some of the oldest, tallest, and heaviest things ever to live on the planet, so if you ever get the chance to visit them, go for it! They won't let you down.Select the letter of the correct answer.
Which sentence is most important to include in a summary of this Article? Press enter to interact with the item, and press tab button or down arrow until reaching the Submit button once the item is selectedAGiant sequoias never stop growing, and they can be as tall as a 25-story building.
BForest fires help giant sequoia trees by opening the cones that hold their seeds.
CScientists count rings in fallen sequoia trees to estimate the age of living trees.
DGiant sequoias are some of the oldest living things, and they help the environment.
Read this passage from the Article:
Sure, the blue whale is pretty hefty, weighing in at about 330,000 pounds (149,685 kilograms), but it's hard to fathom the massiveness of the General Sherman, which weighs more than 2.5 million pounds (over 1.25 million kilograms)!
Which is the closest synonym for the word fathom?
Press enter to interact with the item, and press tab button or down arrow until reaching the Submit button once the item is selected
What cause and effect relationship is described in this Article?
Press enter to interact with the item, and press tab button or down arrow until reaching the Submit button once the item is selectedA Because giant sequoias are so tall, only animals like squirrels and salamanders can live in or around the trees.
B Because the President is the oldest giant sequoia, it is also the heaviest and tallest giant sequoia in the world.
C Because the giant sequoia's bark protects it from bugs and lightning strikes, it is able to live for a long time.
D Because the giant sequoia's cones only open to spill its seeds during forest fires, giant sequoias are starting to die off.
Why do scientists count the rings on fallen trees?
Press enter to interact with the item, and press tab button or down arrow until reaching the Submit button once the item is selectedA To help them estimate the number of seeds released by one tree each year
B To help them estimate the height and circumference of the fallen trees
C To help them estimate how much oxygen living giant sequoia trees produce
D To help them estimate the age of living giant sequoia trees of a similar size
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