Walking Trees: Moving Ents from 'The Lord of the Rings' Movies Are Not Entirely Fictional

Walking trees may seem to be only residing in the figment of our imaginations as well as in fictional literature, stories, and movies, including the "The Lord of the Rings" franchise.

In its second and third installments, moving and talking ents were shown in the "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Although the tree-like beings portrayed in JRR Tolkien's work, which the LOTR movies are based on, are far from reality, they are not entirely fictional.

In the real world, there are trees that can move which resembles the act of walking, according to scientists.

However, their movement is still based on their attachment to the ground, where their roots are anchored or attached to the soil.

Walking Palm Trees

One tree species that can walk is the Socratea exorrhiza, commonly known as the walking palm tree or cashapona, which is native to Ecuador and other parts of Central America and South America.

These trees can grow up to 25 meters in height and are not fast enough to outrun chainsaws and machetes used in deforestation.

According to a BBC article about Ecuador, the walking palm trees can move across the forest due to the growth of new roots that slowly relocates them, sometimes at a distance of two or three centimeters each day.

Amid contestations among scientists as to the facts behind these walking trees, a paleobiologist named Peter Vrsansky from Slovakia claims to have witnessed the strange phenomenon first hand, the BBC reported.

Videos on social media, although unconfirmed, also show that some trees are apparently moving.

Can All Trees Walk?

Not all trees can walk, since current evidence shows that walking palm trees are the only one of their kind.

S. exorrhiza is probably the world's only moving tree, according to non-profit conservation project Ecuador Forest of Clouds, which cited perspective of experts that the tree species possess a complicated system of roots, that serves as its legs.

The project also highlights that the walking trees constantly move towards sunlight amid the changing seasons, even if they are situated near the In annual average, the trees can cover 20 meters from their point of origin.

Growing Threats

Despite their mobility, the walking trees in Latin America is not invulnerable to the growing threats that affect other tree species worldwide, including natural factors and human activities.

According to recent data by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, forest cover in the region declined constantly from 53% to 46% between 1990 and 2020.

Previous research conducted about forest loss in Latin America suggests that deforestation and illegal logging are the major cause of the said land area decline.

If current anthropogenic factors continue, even the walking trees of Ecuador may not survive in the coming years or decades.