The Walking Trees of Ecuador: They Reportedly Move Up to 20 Meters Per Year (Video & Video)

According to some scientists, it is the tree's stilted roots that allow it to 'walk'. Image credit: Ruestz Other scientists, however, are of a different opinion. According to a 2005 paper by biologist Gerardo Avalos, director of the Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica, although Socratea Exorrhiza trees do occasionally produce new roots, they stay firmly planted in one place. The fact that they sprout new roots doesn't mean they use them to move around. My paper proves that the belief of the walking palm is just a myth, Avalos told Live Science. Thinking that a palm tree could actually track canopy light changes by moving slowly over the forest floor … is a myth that tourist guides find amusing to tell visitors to the rainforest. But then, why all the confusion? Ultimately, it all seems to come down to that unique stilted root system. The 'walking' trees of Ecuador have a higher root system than other trees, starting near the bottom of their trunks. This makes the trees look more like an upright, walking broom than an actual tree. And, as the soil around them erodes, some of these weird-looking roots die off, leaving space for new roots to form.