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August 12, 2016

All About Disney's Animal Kingdom Tree of Life



Disney World's Animal Kingdom has an easily-recognizable icon: its Tree of Life.
Because it's the centerpiece of the park, it's convenient to use 
as the central landmark around which we can always get our bearings.
(Especially for directionally-challenged ME.)

From afar, the tree looks real, but it's actually man-made,
yet another wonder created by those amazing Disney artists & imagineers.
It's strong enough and flexible enough to handle Florida's hurricane seasons.
It's an imposing monstrosity of a structure; let's hear some stats.
Height: 145'
Span of Branches: 165' 
Width of Trunk: 50'
Number of Leaves: Over 100,000

Yes, we're impressed. But this is only half of the story.
"Carved" into the trunk, branches and roots of the tree are over 300 birds & animals.
Look closely and you'll see how they're entwined with one another.
They're not meant to be to scale; they're artistically designed as part of the tree.
Included are a peacock, a meerkat, a hippo, and a bison.
A lion, an owl, an iguana and a chimpanzee.
It's fun to try to spot and identify as many as possible!
Take your time, walk all around, and take it all in.

One thing is for sure: no photograph I've seen does justice to this tree.
The majesty of it never seems to be captured.
The depth and details of the animals just can't be fully appreciated.
Alas, I've given it a try. Here are a few of my attempts.














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