Among the most striking scientific curiosities that we can observe directly in nature is the tallest tree in the world. What species is it and where is it found?
It is “Hyperion”, a tree native to California belonging to the Sequoia family. Specifically, it is a Sequoia Sempervirens (redwood or California redwood), a species that was discovered in 2006 by two hikers in Redwood National Park, north of San Francisco (California).
The name of Hyperion is due to Greek mythology, where one of the sons of Gaea (goddess of the Earth) and Uranus (god of the Sky), Hyperion (which means “the one who looks from above”) represented the highest Titan of among all the titans. Gaea and Uranus were the parents of the first generation of Titans
And is that Hyperion is more than 20 meters higher than the Statue of Liberty in New York (USA) It measures 115.55 meters high and does not stop growing. It is estimated that it has about 526.69 cubic meters of wood and is 700-800 years old. Its exact location has not been publicly revealed to prevent tourist traffic from altering the ecosystem in which this natural giant inhabits.
Regarding the tree with the largest trunk diameter in the world (14.05 meters in diameter), the Tule Tree, its age is unknown but it could be more than 2,000 years old. In the shade of this magnificent tree, approximately 500 people can fit.