Why Marquesas Islands Tree Ferns Face Extinction
🕐 7 min read | 🌍 Natural Wonders 🔒 Key Takeaways Marquesas Islands tree ferns date back 65 million years to the Cretaceous period and survived the asteroid extinction event that killed dinosaurs Only 3 endemic species remain with fewer than 1,000 mature individual plants surviving in their native volcanic valleys Invasive boars, rats, and goats destroyed 85% of original fern forest habitat in just 200 years, reducing forest coverage from 500,000+ acres to fewer than 75,000 acres These ferns tower 25-30 feet tall with 10-foot fronds, each supporting over 500 associated species found nowhere else on Earth High in the fog-shrouded volcanic valleys of French Polynesia's Marquesas Islands grows a botanical ghost unchanged since T-Rex walked the Earth—towering tree ferns that perfected their 65-million-year design and refused to evolve. These Marquesas Islands tree ferns witnessed the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, survived every ice age and climate catastrophe...