# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CYfopvkNIfF
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11681891-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/9825e0f87a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-01-09T03:30:41.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by mattiasklumofficial | A baobab tree and the Milky Way, Botswana. Baobab trees store water in their trunk (up to 120,000 liters, or 32,000 gal) to endure drought. They produce faint growth rings, most likely annually, but they're not reliable age markers because they're difficult to count and usually fade with time. Radiocarbon dating, however, has provided data on a few individuals. A Namibia specimen called Grootboom was found to be at least 1,275 years old, making it one of the oldest known angiosperm trees in the world. But that baobab and at least 12 others that were among the largest in Africa have wholly or partly died, and quite abruptly, according to researcher Adrian Patrut. The cause of the die-off remains unclear, though scientists suspect the demise of monumental baobabs may be associated with significant changes in climate conditions that affect southern Africa in particular. Please check out mattiasklumofficial for more stories from around the world. #baobabtree #protectbiodiversity #botswana #africa #ancient #tree #stars #milkyway

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 693,491
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- **Comments:** 1,862

## Tags

stars, botswana, baobabtree, africa, tree, protectbiodiversity, ancient, milkyway

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